Can Cats Learn Tricks? Debunking Myths and Unveiling Training Techniques

Introduction

Oftentimes people hear the words “cat training” and think there’s no way they’d be able to train their cat. The truth is that cats CAN be trained, and it’s quite easy to get started. Despite the common misbelief that cats can't be trained, it's simply not true! With the help of a clicker, training a cat is very easy. Cats should only be taught new behaviors with positive, reward-based training. Punishment and dominance are not healthy methods, nor are they effective.

Why is Cat Training Important?

Contrary to popular belief, cats do require mental and physical enrichment. If not given proper stimulation, cats can become bored, which then leads to problems such as destructive behavior, weight gain, depression, and other health issues. Training requires your cat to problem solve while also increasing their movement, which makes it an excellent form of both mental and physical exercise.

Training with your cat will also help to strengthen the bond the two of you share. It gives you a fun activity to do together, and it builds trust. As you work with your cat, you’ll get a deeper understanding of their personality, their body language, and how their mind works. This understanding will build a closer relationship and be helpful in other areas of your cat’s life as well.

Last but not least, training your cat can eliminate undesirable or problem behaviors. As mentioned, bored cats can become destructive, so if this is something your cat struggles with, training can help! Through training, your cat will learn to be well-behaved and stay safe from potential hazards in your home. As an example, kittens like to scratch. Teaching your kitty to use scratching posts or pads will show your cat where they are allowed to scratch. If your cat exhibits behaviors like avoiding their litter box, it might be a sign of boredom. Regular training is a great way to combat boredom in cats. Cats need to exercise their minds and bodies. Keeping your cat's mind and body active through training will boost their health.

Getting Started: Essential Cat Training Tools

Before you begin training, it’s important to gather the tools and supplies needed to train your kitty.There are just a couple things you’ll need to begin your cat training journey. The basic training materials include:

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A clicker and target stick - These two important tools come together in our Cat School Clicker Training Kit.
Treats - You’ll need a treat your cat is willing to work for. This will be different for every cat. Your kitty might prefer dry kibble, freeze dried treats, squeezable treats, or wet food. You might have to try out a few different options to find the right treat for your cat. Your cat’s favorite treats, something they don’t usually get that you use only for training sessions. This could be store-bought treats, freeze-dried chicken, low-sodium deli turkey, or roast chicken. If your cat is not especially food motivated, you can use a favorite toy as a reward. Some cats who enjoy physical touch may even enjoy a couple of pats (no more than a couple) as a reward.
Cat School membership - The Cat School curriculum is the most comprehensive resource for clicker training cats, accessible right from your home. Whether you want to teach your cat practical skills, tricks, or understand how to use the clicker to solve problem behaviors, we’ve got you covered. You’ll be able to ask questions, earn badges for your accomplishments and get feedback from the teacher, an applied animal behaviorist. Students who purchase our Cat School Clicker Training Kit get one month for free!

If you’d like to go the extra mile and get all the materials you’ll eventually need, here are a few other recommended items:

Small stacking cups - used for training a variety of skills, including high five, ringing a bell, etc.
Yoga blocks - also used for a variety of training skills
Treat pouch - to hold your treats and give you easy access during training sessions
Mat - used for a variety of training skills, such as “stay” and “place” (Cat School Teacher Julie uses a laptop sleeve).

Defining Your Training Goals

The training possibilities with your cat are endless. This means you’ll never run out of things to do, but it also means it can be a bit overwhelming at first. With so many options of behaviors to work on, where do you start?

To help keep you and your kitty on track right from the beginning, it’s important to decide what kind of behaviors you’d like to start with. What are your goals? Are you wanting to fix an unwanted behavior, work on practical skills, or learn fun tricks? Making this choice doesn’t mean you can’t expand into other areas eventually. It just gives you a solid starting point and prevents you from trying to go in too many directions too soon.

Essential Cat Training Tips

Alright, so you’ve gotten the recommended tools and materials and you’ve chosen your training path. It’s time to get started!

Start with something easy. As with anything new, it’s important to start with the basics first. As tempting as it may be to jump right into training your cat to jump through a hoop, chances are that would end in frustration for both of you. Start with some simple skills to show your cat that training is fun and easy. Teaching your cat that the “click” means they get a treat is the first step of clicker training. Once your cat understands the click, you may want to try teaching them to sit. Target training is also a good, beginner skill. By starting with these foundation skills, you will be well prepared to progress onto more advanced behaviors.

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- Start with your cat, the treats, and the clicker (or the clicking sound you’ve decided upon) in your designated quiet space. Click and treat once to make sure your cat isn’t afraid of the sound. Then choose a specific behavior to reward, such as looking in your direction. When your cat looks at you, click and then toss her a treat. Repeat every time she looks at you. As she approaches, click and treat. When your cat comes to you consistently, add the verbal cue. It shouldn’t be her name (although you can use her name to get her attention), but a specific word, something simple, such as “Come” or “Here.” Say it when she looks up from finishing her treat and click as she comes toward you. Eventually, you will want to go into a different room from your cat and call her. When she comes and finds you, click and reward. When she comes consistently from different areas of your home, you do not need the precision of the clicker to communicate that she has done the correct behavior.
Keep the training sessions short. It can be hard to keep a cat’s attention when they are new to training. Shorter sessions will keep your cat focused, and prevent them from losing interest or getting frustrated. Short sessions keep your pet from losing interest while training. As a general rule of thumb, have up to two sessions per day. Young kittens do not have the same patience as older cats.
- When your cat is first beginning, we recommend starting with 3-5 minute sessions once or twice a day. Short but frequent and consistent training sessions will be way more effective than longer ones. For example, having two to three 5 minute training sessions in a day is typically better than one 15 minute session. As your cat advances, you can increase the length of your training sessions. If possible, try to end your session on a positive note before your cat loses interest.
Eliminate any distractions. Pick a quiet area of your home for your cat training sessions - someplace with as few distractions as possible. Family members, other pets, and noises can be quite distracting, and your cat may not be able to focus. If you have other pets, close them off in another room of the house so you and your cat can focus only on each other and the training. While there are strategies to train multiple cats at once, it’s best to start off working with just one cat at a time. It is possible to train multiple cats at a time! It is a bit more to manage though, so if possible, it’s recommended to start with one cat at a time. You should start with a new behavior that’s easy, such as target training or “sit.”
Reward immediately and consistently. The clicker takes a snap shot of the correct behavior and let’s your cat know which behavior earned the reward. For clicker training to work properly, it’s essential to click right at the precise moment your cat performs the desired behavior. Because the click is a promise of a reward, it’s necessary always to give your cat a treat after you click. Cats should receive positive, reward-based training. Every cat learns at different paces so be sure to provide your cat with lots of positive reinforcement before moving on to the next trick. This includes praise, pets, and treats.
Find the right reward. There is no magical, universal training treat. Just as with humans, different cats have different treat preferences. Some may prefer dry treats or kibble, while others prefer wet food or squeezable treats. It’s good to have multiple treats that your cat will work for. A motivator for your cat is an item that encourages your cat's cooperation. High-value treats keep most cats interested in learning new tricks. Diced chicken or canned tuna are great options for high-value treats.
- You may also find that your cat is willing to perform easy behaviors for one type of treat, but that they require a higher-value treat for more difficult behaviors. A high value treat doesn’t necessarily mean a more expensive treat. It is just a treat your cat sees as being special. Again, this will be different for every cat, but typically it will be something they don’t get to have on a very regular basis. For example, if your cat only eats wet food for their regular meals, they may see dry food as something extra special!
Don’t punish the bad behavior. As a general rule, cats don’t respond well to punishment. Punishing your cat can lead to stress and anxiety, and it can damage the sense of trust you’re building. Some cats will even view punishment as a reward - negative attention is attention, after all! Clicker training is all about positive reinforcement. The idea is always to reward the desired behaviors. When your cat engages in a negative behavior, you should try to redirect or distract your cat rather than punish. Better yet, figure out why your cat is doing that behavior and try to prevent it or teach them an alternative one. For example, if your cat is scratching the couch, the goal is to teach them to scratch a more appropriate option. Use positive reinforcement only with your cat. Never get mad or punish her for doing a trick improperly or not doing it at all. Ignore it when your cat does the trick incorrectly and try again.

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Be consistent with your cues. To avoid confusion, always use the same voice commands and hand signals for the behavior you are working on. Be sure that anyone else who trains with your cat also knows the correct commands and signals.
Train at the right time. Training requires a lot of focus from your cat, so you will want to be strategic about when you do your training sessions. After a nap or first thing in the morning is usually a good time, as your cat will be rested and ready for an activity. Right before mealtimes are great too because your cat will be more willing to work for their treat rewards if they’re a bit hungry. If your cat tends to be active at bedtime, you can engage in a training session with them before you go to sleep to help tire them out too. Also, find the best time to train your cat and keep training sessions brief, eliminating all possible distractions. Only train one skill at a time, being consistent with cues and rewards.
Involve others. If you have other members of your household, it is beneficial to include them in your cat’s training process. This is especially important if you’re working on training out any unwanted behaviors. All members of the household should know what the training method and goal is so they can also correctly and consistently address the bad behavior when it comes up. Involving others in the training also helps to build your cat’s socialization skills. It can be hard for your kitty to acclimate to being around other animals. Certain methods help ease the tension.

Obedience Skills

Obedience skills are a natural place to start. These include commands such as “sit,” coming when called, “stay,” “drop it,” target training, eye contact, etc. Many of the basic obedience skills are used as building blocks for future skills.

Target Training

Target training involves teaching your cat to touch an object with a specific part of their body for a reward. For example, getting your cat to touch the end of a target stick with their nose.

Using the target stick, you can:

Have a clear signal to move your cat from one point to another
Guide your cat willingly into a carrier or backpack
Teach fun tricks such as jumping over your arms or legs
Help a shy cat overcome their fear of strangers. You can use the target as an icebreaker with strangers by providing a constructive way to interact
Tire your cat out before bed.

Sit

Teaching your cat to sit is quite easy and doesn’t usually take much time at all. All you have to do is capture your cat’s “sit” by clicking and rewarding whenever they do it naturally.

Sit on the floor by your cat, or if this isn’t comfortable for you, place her on a table or other raised surface. When she sees you have a treat, she may walk toward you. Say “sit” and bring the treat over her head. She will most likely stop and sit. When her rear end touches the floor or surface, click and then give her the treat. Tell her what a good cat she is! Repeat this a few times before ending the session. Sit training is a little more tedious for cats than coming when called, so keep sessions brief. Once your cat learns how to sit, sitting up, or sit pretty, is just a matter of raising the treat high enough over her head so that she has to sit on her hind legs to reach it. When she is already in a sit, say “Pretty,” as you offer the treat up high, click and give the treat when she accomplishes the trick.

Coming When Called

Teaching your cat to come when called, also known as recall, is a useful skill. Not only is it nice when your cat comes when you call their name, it can also come in handy if your cat were to ever slip out of your house. This one is also very useful, especially if you have an outdoor cat. For indoor cats, their incentive might be a treat or playtime. For outdoor cats, their incentive could be a meal.

Correcting Problem Behaviors Through Training

If your cat has a problem with things like biting, scratching, or counter surfing, don’t worry! You can correct your cat’s behavior with proper training.

Biting

The first step to correcting biting behavior is to figure out why it’s happening as different situations will require different treatment plan. Be proactive with biting by allowing your cat to see hands as rewarding. Rub some tasty treat paste on the back of your hand, let your cat come to you to sniff and then lick, calmly pulling your hand away if she begins to nip. Say the word,”gentle” when she licks.

If your cat is playing rough and biting during playtime, try to keep them calm by interrupting play sessions before your cat gets too overstimulated. This strategy is no different than interrupting wrestling matches with dogs at the dog park and asking them to do some sits and stays to take a breather from play. The goal is never to punish the behavior, but instead prevent it from occurring in the first place.

Biting can also occur when your cat is bored and not getting enough mental or physical activity. Provide them with the means to act on their predatory instincts with toys they can chase, bite, and catch. Engaging in training sessions can help curb the biting behavior by teaching your cat self-control.

Furniture Scratching

Scratching is an instinctual and natural behavior, that is important for your cat. If your cat is scratching your couch, the best way to correct this behavior is to provide them with plenty of other equally or more appealing scratching surfaces and use positive reinforcement to encourage them to make the correct choice. Teaching your kitty to use these items will show your cat where they are allowed to scratch.

Place the scratchers in various areas of your home, and also beside the piece of furniture they tend to gravitate towards and make them as enticing as possible, for example, with catnip and using your clicker to reward your cat. Cover your furniture so you don’t need to get frustrated with your cat during the training process. Fortunately, today, it’s so much easier to find beautiful couch covers to protect furniture and make your home more cat-friendly.

Counter Surfing

If your cat tends to jump up on your kitchen counter tops and that’s not something you’d like, you can discourage this behavior in several ways. Here are a few suggestions for eliminating counter surfing:

Keep food and other tempting things off the countertops; finding snacks on the counter will reinforce your cat’s jumping.
Provide your cat with a nearby alternative “parking spot,” for example, a cat tree or high shelves from which they can be near you in the kitchen.
Make this new parking spot a fun place where your cat finds their favourite treats and toys.
Using clicker training, reward your cat for going to the new parking spot and teach them to sit there, for example, by training your cat to sit on a mat.

If your cat finds nothing exciting on the counter and their new parking spot is a source of treats and attention, they should start to choose the new spot over the counter.

Fun Tricks to Teach Your Cat

There are SO many fun tricks you can teach your cat. Trick training is a great way to engage with your cat and strengthen your relationship. Many of the tricks require prerequisite skills like target training or sit, so be sure your cat has mastered those skills first. Now that you've taught your cat the basics, you might want to start teaching other tricks that are fun and cute to watch.

Spin

To teach “spin” you’ll need to use either a target stick or your finger to lead your cat around in a tight circle. Your cat will follow the treat, turning around in a circle. After your cat completes a full spin, say the command "spin." Then, reward them with praise and treats.

Jump

You can teach your cat to jump up onto objects on command by using the target stick to lead your cat. Just as with “spin,” you’ll want to combine with a voice command and then click and reward when executed successfully. You can use the target stick to lead your cat to jump over obstacles as well, such as your legs or your arms.

High Five

Nobody can resist a cute kitty who high-fives! This is a cute trick that's sure to impress your friends and family. High five looks impressive, but it is actually an easy trick. As in teaching Sit, make sure you and your cat are on a similar eye level. Hold a treat in front of your cat at her shoulder level. When she reaches out her paw and touches the hand holding the treat, click and then give her the treat. Eventually she will understand she must touch your hand before getting the treat. At that point, stop holding the treat in the hand you are offering her, and when she touches your hand, click and give he the treat with the other hand. When she is consistent with that, start offering your hand in the palm up (high five) position and give the verbal cue “High five!” When she touches your palm, click and give the reward.

Fetch

This trick isn't for dogs. To start, you will need an item that is desirable for your kitty to pick up off the floor. You can use a treat or make one of your cat’s toys more desirable. Throw it out of reach of your cat and say the command "fetch." The smell of the cat treat should lure your cat to the toy. It may take a few sessions until your cat learns to fetch on command.

Sit

This is probably the most common trick that people teach their cats, and for good reason. To teach your cat to sit, simply hover a treat over their head until they assume the sitting position.

Shake Hands

This is a cute trick that's sure to impress your friends and family. To teach your cat to shake hands, simply hold out your hand and wait for them to put their paw in it.

Stand on Two Feet

This is a cute trick that's sure to impress your friends and family. To teach your cat to stand on two feet, start by holding a treat in front of their nose. Then, slowly raise the treat until they're standing on their hind legs.

Play Dead

This is a fun trick that's sure to get a laugh from your friends and family. To teach your cat to play dead, start by getting them to lie down on their side. Then, wait for them to roll over onto their back.

Walk on a Leash

Some cats will stare through the window all day… that's a sign that the cat will love to walk outdoors. If your cat passes the Adventure Cat Test, your cat will very likely love to go on walks. To teach your cat to walk on a leash, you'll need a cat harness. Collars are not recommended for walking cats because they put too much pressure on the neck. For example, if leash training, use a harness instead of a collar because it is more gentle and less stressful if your cat does tug. Once you have your cat harness, start by attaching the leash to the harness and let them get used to the feel of it indoors first.

Ring a Bell

This is a great trick for cats who like to play with bells. To teach your cat to ring a bell, start by attaching a bell to their collar.

Roll Over

This is a fun trick that's sure to impress your friends and family. To teach your cat to roll over, start by getting them to lie down on their side.

Addressing Common Concerns

What if my cat isn't food motivated?

If your cat isn’t willing to work for treats, it could be that you haven’t found the right treat yet! Test out some different treat options to find one that your cat deems worthy and give your cat a chance to get used the new food; some cats are scared to try anything new.

Your cat’s feeding schedule is also a big part of the equation. If your cat free feeds (meaning they have a bowl of food available at all times), they won’t usually be very food motivated because they can just snack whenever they want.

Can I train multiple cats at once?

It is possible to train multiple cats at a time! It is a bit more to manage though, so if possible, it’s recommended to start with one cat at a time. You should start with a new behavior that’s easy, such as target training or “sit.” Knowing how and when to build on your skills can be tricky though, which is why we have a step-by-step training roadmap to follow in our online Cat School Course! As mentioned, there is no magical, universal training treat. Each cat will have different preferences, and different treats will work best for different situations.

Can I leash train my cat?

Absolutely! Harness and leash training is an excellent way to let your cat experience the excitement and enrichment of the outdoor world in a safe and controlled way. If you are interested in leash training your cat, we recommend our harness kit.

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