March 5, 2024

How to Train Your Cat

About Nicole Pajer

Nicole Pajer is a Los Angeles-based freelance published in The New York Times, Woman's Day, AARP, Parade, Wired, Glamour, People and more.

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Dogs can sit, stay, roll over, come when called, shake, high-five and do all kinds of fancy tricks. But did you know that you can train your cat to do some of the same types of tricks as well? Yes, it’s true! “The first reaction when I tell people that training a cat is possible is surprise,” says Albert Colominas, a cat trainer and behaviorist with Outdoorbengal.com.

In fact, he says, you are likely training your cat all day – even when you think you are not. Does your cat know their name? “They probably do, even if you haven’t actively taught them that,” adds Colominas. “I would also bet that your cat knows it’s feeding time even before you do!”

“What does your cat do when you open the fridge? They know what’s there. They’ve learned that when they come, they get yummies,” says Colominas. When this happens, your cat is responding with behavior to an exterior stimulus — aka you opened the fridge. It’s the same idea behind Pavlov’s Dog Theory, where when a dog is given a treat over and over again at the sound of a bell, eventually he will start to salivate after merely hearing the sound of a bell.

After working with thousands of cats, Colominas has identified three things that can help to make training a cat easier. Here are a few of his favorite tips for making your cat training sessions a success:

1) Stop free feeding your cat: If your cat always has food available for them, then the value of the treats you give them will typically diminish, making it harder to get them to work for a treat. Instead, consider only feeding your cat at a certain time of the day.

2) Use a clicker: A clicker is a sound-making device that allows you to push down on it to click whenever a certain action is performed by your pet. You can pick up a pet clicker at any pet supply store.

The way a clicker works is that it will help you mark the exact behavior you want your cat to repeat. When your cat does the behavior that you want them to repeat, click, and reward. The sound of the clicker is consistent and fast and will help your cat understand what exact behavior is the one that’s being rewarded. The key here is to click at the exact moment an action is performed. So, if you are training a cat to sit, the second his butt hits the ground is when you click. This will help him to understand that the action of his butt touching the floor is what he is being rewarded for.

3) Use high-value treats: The high-value treat is the treat that when your cat sees/smells it, they think “jackpot!”. These types of treats tend to be very high in protein and as close as possible to what they would eat in nature. Using a low-value treat, like your cat’s everyday kibble, won’t have the same effect. Go to the store and pick up something super fancy for your cat and designate that as his training reward. Bonus points for finding something that comes in his favorite flavor – i.e. tuna or chicken.

With the right training, most cats can learn how to do everything from sit to shake and even fetch. A great trick to start off with is teaching them to come when called. Here are the steps that Colominas recommends taking to make this happen:

Grab a bag of treats and shake it as you say, “come here.”
When your cat is at arm’s reach, press the button on your clicker and reward them immediately with a treat.
Repeat this over and over again until your cat gets the hang of it.

“In no time, your cat will start coming to you after you ask them to “come here,” even if you don’t always have treats with you!” says Colominas.

If your feline isn’t food-motivated, you can find something else to reward it with such as a favorite toy, catnip, or you can just try lots of praise and petting.