How to Train Your Cat to Do Awesome Things

Everyone knows you can train dogs to do tricks. But not everyone realises that you can also train cats.

While cats can be quite stubborn, with patience and positive reinforcement, you can teach your clever cat a variety of commands. These are not only fun tricks (such as “shake hands”) but also practical instructions that will make your life easier (such as not scratching furniture or even using the toilet).

Recall

You can train your cat to come when you call its name. This can be especially useful when you need your kitty to come eat its dinner or hop into its carrier for a visit to the vet.

To teach recall, get out a high-value treat your cat loves, such as freeze dried chicken. Call your cat’s name clearly. Then rustle the bag and draw attention to the treats.

When your cat comes, reward it with the treat and praise in a high-pitched tone.

Practise daily. Rustle the bag less and less and offer smaller treats each time. Also gradually increase the distance.

The goal is to eventually have your cat to come just by calling its name without any treats offered.

Use the Toilet

While training your cat to use a human toilet can take several months, it has huge benefits. Not only will you have a nicer smelling home, but you will also save money on litter.

To teach this, begin by moving your cat’s litter box into the bathroom. Gradually move the litter box an inch closer to the toilet each day.

Don’t move it too suddenly as this may confuse your cat and it will decide to have an accident somewhere else instead!

Once the litter box is next to the toilet, slowly raise the height day by day until the litter box is on your toilet.

Next, install a cat toilet training kit over your toilet bowl and fill with litter.

Over time, use less and less litter and progress through to the smaller settings on the toilet training kit. Eventually, your cat will be comfortable sitting on your regular toilet seat, and you can remove the toilet training kit all together.

However, there are several negatives to teaching your cat this. You need to always remember to leave the bathroom door open and toilet seat up, you won’t be able to use the toilet yourself for a few weeks with your toilet training kit installed, and jumping up may become difficult for your cat as it ages.

Shake Hands

Teaching your cat to shake hands or “high five” is a fun trick that many cats can learn to do.

Start by bending down to your cat’s level. Let your cat sniff your hand and gently stroke its paw with your finger. Even this may result in resistance from some cats so progress slowly and reward your cat when it responds appropriately.

Next, gently raise their paw and give it a gentle shake while saying the command “shake.” Practise this daily until your cat raises its paw to shake on its own.

When your cat does the right thing, reward it with high-pitched praise, a treat or a gentle pat.

Walk on a Leash

Training your cat to walk on a leash is a great way to allow exercise outdoors without your cat wandering too far away.

First, get your cat comfortable wearing a cat harness and leash around the house. This may take several days so practise regularly.

Many cats will never progress past this stage. However, this is still a great skill as it allows you to tether your cat in your yard on a long leash so it can wander around without being able to leave your property.

The next step is to practise walking your cat on its leash around your home. Once it is comfortable, progress to walking it outdoors.

You may need to lure your cat to walk using treats at first. Never pull or tug on your cat as it can cause serious injury to their back.

Use a Scratching Post

If your cat is prone to scratching your furniture and other things it shouldn’t, you can redirect it to a scratching post instead.

Purchase a cat scratcher that has features your cat will enjoy. For example, if your cat likes to sit up high then purchase a tall scratching post, if your cat likes to hide them purchase a scratcher with a cave area.

Place the scratcher close to the furniture your cat is currently scratching. Use treats or catnip to attract your cat to the scratcher. When it uses it correctly, praise it using a high-pitched tone or reward it with treats.