6 of 7

Write now Article Tools

I have had many cats, and each of them has been able to come on command. I also work at the local Humane Society, and visitors are constantly amazed when I get one of the adoptable or sick cats to come with very little coaxing. "Wow," they say, "what a great cat. So easy to train." Naturally, I hold my tongue and let them think this (if it helps the cat get adopted, I'm not about to go and contradict them), but in actuality, it's extremely easy to make even the most independent or wary of cats come on command.

To do this, you simply need to consider the nature of a cat. Anyone who has experience with cats can tell you that everything is done on their schedule, and there is no such thing as actually owning a cat. Rather, the cat owns you. A cat will base its decisions on whether the outcome of an option is positive or negative, which, contrary to popular belief, makes cats extremely easy to train with the right tools.

By "right tools", of course, I mean a treat that your cat will pretty much do cartwheels and back flips for. Personally, I like to use small, hard treats from Whiskas, as it's safe to give the cat anywhere from ten to fifteen treats a day, depending on the age and the size of your cat. If the treats give off an especially strong scent, this is an added bonus. I would also suggest making these a very special treat that are not regularly given as a snack or a reward for other things. These snacks should only be given for performing tricks, and so naturally, you should try to find out which brand or flavour is your cat's favourite, and make this the new special snack for obeying commands.

When getting your cat to come to you, or perform pretty much any other trick, they won't respond to a word so much as a hand gesture, so I'll be focusing particularly on the gesture here. Stand a few good meters away from your cat, hold the treat at the tip of your fingers, stretch out your arm, and say "Come." Your cat might hesitate a bit, but eventually the cat should come and sniff the offering. If you're trying to teach your cat to sit, it's at this point that you can hold the treat, still at the tip of your fingers, above the cat's head and say "Sit". If you position the treat just above their head, and move it slowly so that they can see where it's headed, the cat is guaranteed to sit down after a few moments. If the cat tries instead to go up on its hind legs, consider lowering the treat a bit. You can also gently push the cat down into a sitting position and

• 1
• 2
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about Teaching your cat to come when called?
We want to hear your view. Write now!