Cat Training Basics

Many people recognize that training a dog is a key part of responsible pet care – it helps ensure they are well-behaved, psychologically enriched, and able to live happily alongside us. But what about cats?

Contrary to what many believe, cats can be trained too! In fact, there are plenty of benefits to doing so.

Like dogs, cats need both mental and physical enrichment to be happy and healthy. Training a cat isn’t just fun, it also helps prevent behaviour problems, strengthens the human-animal-bond, and improves their overall well-being. Training can also be practical: if your cat knows to come when called, you’ll have a much easier time coaxing them back indoors if they accidently slip outside.

As natural hunters, cats also enjoy opportunities to express their instincts. Training can function as a safe, structured outlet for these natural behaviours, making for a happier feline.  

Below are some basic tips to help you get started.

General Training Tips:

• Use positive enforcement: Reward your cat with high value treats they love. The more your cat enjoys the treats, the easier training will be. Tip: small, low-calorie treats are best for training. This will allow you to reward more frequently without overfeeding. To ensure your cat maintains a balanced diet, limit treats to no more than 10% of their daily calorie intake.
• Train when your cat is interested: To begin training, try getting your cat’s attention with treats. However, if they’re not interested, try again another time. Cats prefer to learn on their own terms. Start training during a time when your cat is alert and engaged.
• Keep the sessions short and frequent: Long training sessions risk losing your cat’s interest, potentially demotivating both of you. Short, frequent training sessions will be more effective and are also beneficial in helping to build new habits. Try including short training sessions into your everyday routine. For example, maybe you find that your cat is most motivated to learn before dinner time.
• Repeat for success: Repetition improves learning in both cats as well as people. If your cat successfully displays a behaviour, repeat it over and over, rewarding them with a treat each time.
• Add cue words later: Don’t introduce the verbal cues (e.g. “sit”, “come”) until your cat has already learned the behaviour. Once they’re reliably preforming it, pair the cue word with the action and reward with a treat.
• Never punish mistakes: Cats are motivated to learn through rewards, not negative reinforcement or punishment. If they make a mistake, consider taking a break from training and try again later.

Beginner Cat Training: Step-by-Step

You don’t have to be a professional animal behaviourist to start teaching your cat new skills. The following are some simple behaviours to start with as you begin the process of training your cat. We recommend teaching one behaviour at a time, only introducing a new one once they have mastered the current one.

Come

Introduce this skill at mealtimes, when your cat is most likely to be food motivated.

1. With your cat in sight, call their name and rattle their food bowl to get their attention.
2. When they come, reward them with a treat. Repeat.
3. Once your cat is reliably coming when called, add the cue word “come” as you give them the treat.
4. Gradually increase the distance you are calling your cat from or try from a different room.

Sit

1. With your cat standing on all legs in front of you, hold a treat near their nose and slowly move it backward toward their ears. Most cats will naturally lower their hindquarters to follow the treat.
2. The moment they sit (or nearly sit), reward them.
3. If they don’t sit, try holding the treat a little closer to their nose.
4. Once they succeed, start pairing the behaviour with the cue word ‘sit,’ and give them a treat.
5. To help enhance learning, repeat this process 5 to 10 times per session, for several short sessions.

High Five

1. Ensure your cat is watching as you place a treat in your closed fist.
2. Your cat will likely paw at your fist in an attempt to retrieve the treat – reward them when they do.
3. Repeat this process several times.
4. Over time, start holding your hand in a high-five position and pair it with the phrase ‘high five.’
5. Again, do several brief sessions until your cat can do the ‘high five’ reliably.

Stand Up

1. Hold a treat just above your cat’s head, but still far enough away that they can’t reach it.
2. When your cat sits up on their hind legs and reaches for the treat, reward them. If your cat doesn’t respond, try holding the treat a bit closer while moving your hand up slowly, or try a more enticing (and smelly) treat.
3. Repeat this process until they are performing the skill reliably.

Introduce a phrase like “up” and pair it with the reward. We recommend using a novel phrase to not confuse them with other previously learned behaviours.