Yes, you can train a cat! Let’s look at the basic principles of cat training and the most popular tricks you can teach your pet yourself at home.
Kittens can start learning simple cues as early as 8 to 12 weeks of age, and adult cats can learn new tricks too: it just takes a little more patience. Cat training requires patience from the owner. Before you start, watch your cat closely and learn its habits, favorite activities, games and personality. This will help you plan your training sessions, break them into steps and get the best results.
Training isn’t just for fun. It keeps your cat’s mind active, builds your bond and can make everyday life easier: a cat that comes when called, sits calmly or happily walks into its carrier is much easier to care for and less stressed at the vet.
Cat Tricks: A List for Beginners
The most popular cues and tricks for beginners are:
- Come.
- Fetch.
- Sit.
- Down (lie down).
- Stay (wait).
- Target (touch).
- High five (give a paw).
- Jump through a hoop.
- Sit up (stand on the back legs).
The Basic Principles of Training a Cat at Home
Punishment doesn’t work with cats: they’re far too independent. Cats learn through positive reinforcement, meaning they repeat behaviors that earn them something they like.
- You can teach your cat tricks, but it takes love, attention and patience. You can’t force a cat to do anything; it has to want to do it.
- Ideally, your cat should feel that it’s training you. Let it think that you hand out treats on command and that it offers its paw of its own free will.
- The golden rule of training: never cheat your cat. Every correctly performed trick must be rewarded, every time, even when your cat has learned the trick and is doing it for the hundredth time. Later, you can gradually reward less often or switch some rewards to praise and play.
- Use a “marker.” Many trainers use a clicker: a small device that makes a click sound. Click at the exact moment your cat does the right thing, and immediately give a treat. Your cat quickly learns that the click means “Yes, that’s it! A treat is coming.” If you don’t have a clicker, use a short, distinct word like “yes!” Use the same marker every time, and only during training.
- Keep sessions short but frequent. A few minutes, two or three times a day, is plenty. Stop while your cat is still interested; if it gets tired, it will lose interest in training.
- Train before a meal, when your cat is a little hungry and motivated by treats, but never withhold food to make it hungrier.
- Use small, high-value rewards: tiny pieces of cooked chicken, freeze-dried treats or lickable treats. Count the treats as part of your cat’s daily food, so it doesn’t gain weight.
- Teach one trick at a time. Move on to a new trick only when your cat has clearly learned the previous one. Don’t try to teach your cat everything at once: it will get confused and frustrated.
- Train in a quiet place without distractions.
The earlier you start, the better the results. Kittens learn easily through play. Training an adult cat is a bit harder, because it already has a settled personality, habits and preferences, but it’s absolutely possible. At any age, saying your cat’s name before a cue helps get its attention.
Let’s look at how to teach a cat the basic tricks.
Come
“Come” is the most common and easiest cue to teach. If your kitten responds to its name, it’s ready to learn this one. Start close by: say your cat’s name and “come,” and reward it with a treat as soon as it reaches you. Shaking a treat bag or tapping a food bowl can help at first. Cats quickly learn that the cue is followed by a reward. Gradually call from farther away and from other rooms. Soon your kitten will come running to your feet when it hears “come.”
Never call your cat to you for something it dislikes, such as a nail trim or a pill. Go and get it instead, so “come” always means something good.
Fetch
“Fetch” is harder than “come,” and some cats, often Siamese, Bengals and Abyssinians, fetch naturally. To teach it, find out which toy is your cat’s absolute favorite, such as a small ball or a crinkly toy. Toss it a short distance during play. When your cat picks it up and carries it back toward you, say “fetch,” then trade the toy for a treat. Your cat will remember this and start bringing the ball or other toy back to get a reward.
Sit
Dogs learn this trick quickly. With cats, it can take longer, and some cats are very stubborn about it. To teach your cat to sit, hold a treat just above its nose, then slowly move it back over its head. As your cat follows the treat with its eyes, its bottom will naturally go down. The moment it sits, mark it with a click or “yes,” say “sit” and give it the treat. Don’t push down on your cat’s back: cats don’t like it, and it can be uncomfortable for them. Repeat this many times, and you’ll get results.
Down
“Down” isn’t just a fun trick. It’s a useful skill at the vet. To teach it, ask your cat to sit, then slowly lower a treat from its nose to the floor and slightly forward, so your cat has to stretch down to follow it. Keep the treat just out of reach. As soon as your cat lies down, say “down,” mark the behavior and give it the treat.
Stay (Wait)
A cat that knows this cue should freeze when it hears “stay” or “wait.” This skill can keep your cat out of danger, for example near an open door, or prevent damage around the house. Start with your cat sitting. Hold your palm out toward it like a stop sign, say “stay,” wait one second, then mark and reward. Gradually increase the time and then the distance. If your cat gets up, simply start again, and don’t reward. Cats find this trick hard to learn, so be patient and persistent. Keep your voice calm and even.
Target (Touch)
Target training is one of the most useful cat tricks, because once your cat learns to touch a target with its nose, you can use it to guide your cat almost anywhere: onto a scale, into its carrier or through a hoop. Use a chopstick, a spoon or a special target stick. Hold the target near your cat’s nose. Most cats will sniff it out of curiosity. The moment your cat touches it with its nose, click or say “yes” and give a treat. Add the cue “touch,” then gradually hold the target farther away so your cat has to walk to it.
Some cats like to touch their owner’s face with their nose: this is how you can teach a “kiss.” Hold a treat next to your cheek; when your cat sniffs your cheek, say “kiss,” mark it and give it the treat from your hand.
High Five (Give a Paw)
Cats can learn this dog trick too. Start only when your cat sits reliably on cue. Ask your cat to sit, then hold a treat in your closed hand just above the floor or at chest height. Many cats will paw at your hand to get it. The moment the paw touches your hand, say “high five,” mark and reward. Repeat several times until your cat understands what you want. With patient owners, cats learn to “give five” on request.
Jump Through a Hoop
Jumping through a hoop is an impressive trick that you can teach your cat at home. Cats that love to jump learn it most easily. Put the hoop on the floor between you and your cat, and lure it through with a treat or target stick. When it walks through, say “hoop” or “jump,” mark and reward. Of course, your cat may try to go around the hoop; in that case, place the hoop in a doorway or against a wall so there’s no way around. Gradually raise the hoop a few inches at a time. With a little patience and affection, your cat will soon be jumping through the hoop like a real circus star.
Keep jumps low for kittens, senior cats and cats with arthritis or other health problems.
Sit Up (Stand on the Back Legs)
Teach your cat to stand on its back legs using small pieces of a treat it loves. Show your cat the treat, then slowly raise your hand to a height where it can only reach it by sitting or standing up on its back legs. As soon as it does, mark and reward. Once your cat has mastered this, you can try moving your hand slightly to encourage a few steps.
Important: Never scold your cat if it refuses to perform a trick it has learned. Cats, like people, aren’t always in the mood. If that happens, leave your cat alone and try again later, when it’s interested.
