Is it possible to train a cat?

rosemaryninja

I know next to nothing about cats or how to raise them. I've never kept one and I'm really not what you would call a cat person. However, this is something I've been wondering for a long time. Is it possible to train a cat? And by 'train', I don't mean behaviours like not to scratch the sofa, not to shoot out the front door when it opens...I mean things like 'sit', 'come', 'roll over'.

I know several of you have mentioned clicker-training your cats in some posts before, so any responses are welcome.

I guess I have three basic questions here:

1. Is it possible to teach a cat tricks?

2. Why isn't it more common?

3. What is the main difference between training a dog and a cat?

Bextastic

As an animal behaviorist in training, here it is: You can train cats. It is more difficult though, because dogs are pack animals and cats are not. So dogs are more used to rules and conditions in their society, as it were. Cats on the other hand, are not accustomed to listening to anyone but themselves. It takes much more time and patience, and a motivated (read: food driven) cat.

I myself have trained cats (for a really old video of one of my first trainees go to YouTube and look up "Cats Can do Tricks Too"). The cat in the movie sits, jumps up, and lays down. She also walks on a leash in public.

The easiest way to train your cat, is really... to train your dog! Cats are very smart, and unlike dogs can learn from watching another animal. If they see the dog getting food for sitting when you say sit, they'll eventually figure they can get food too. Sneaky beasts eh?

sillylilykitty

Oh yes, cats definatly can learn tricks. My cat Lily knows how to sit, lay down, jump, shake, high five and speak. She can also walk on a leash with me (obviously not like a dog, cats dont walk very fast). Tanzie is tougher to train then Lily, but so far she knows sit, shake and jump. Tanzie will walk on a leash but she will go wherever she wants, we havent trained her to walk with us yet (she is my sisters cat so I teach Tanzie stuff her and there).

It is not very common because of how people view cats (IMO, one of the reasons). When people dont have time for a dog they say "get a cat". Only slightly true. People think cats dont need your attention, just feed them and thats it. My cat would go crazy if I did that. She needs human companionship, even if you are just in the same room not touching her. Most people think you cant train cats so they dont even bother trying. It definatly takes more patience, the cat doesnt do it for you they do it for themselves. Thats why you need treats (some people move to clicker training, that works too). You cant force them to do it either or they will walk away. A lot of dogs will be happy with praise for their reward, 95-99.99% of cats dont think praise is good enough.

zimandtakandgrrandmimi

with a cat it's more " hey dude would you do me a favor and do X behavior? i'd really appreciate it!"

I trained my cat using the grooming brush as a reward. click and then a stroke with the brush. of course she obsessivly begged for grooming constantly when she was a kitten which gave me the idea.


she walks on a leash(harnesses seem to go over much better than collars) can sit, jump and climb up and down trees with specific directions.

one of my man's odd hobbies is to leash up the cat and go climb trees with her.

I think I have some pix..gonna go find and post'm

sillylilykitty

Definatly agree with that. A good figure H harness is best IMO, but there are other styles too. I wouldnt recommend walking a cat on a leash with a regular collar, way too easy for them to slip out of those compared to a harness.

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Willowy

I guess the main reason most people don't think to trick-train cats is because it's hard to find what motivates your cat. Some cats are food motivated....that's the easiest. Some cats like grooming, or a toy, or whatever. Also, cats will not be as reliably trained as a dog can be. They'll only do the trick if they really feel like it, and are feeling motivated by the reward at the time.

zimandtakandgrrandmimi

I also think it depends on the individual cat. some cats or so I gather are just more amiable to training than others. my cat was raised by my dog and I think that affected her personality some. she has some behaviors that don't seem quite catlike and are much more doglike. she was found as a two week old stray and bolo adopted and nursed her.

so maybe I got lucky...

sillylilykitty

Isnt that true? Lily is really smart and learns tricks pretty easily for a cat. But when we are out other places and she isnt hungry or is too interested in something else, she wont do anything besides sit.

rosemaryninja

So I guess you could say that one of the main difficulties in training a cat, as compared to training a dog, is that although training each animal is equally possible, the cat is much less predisposed to please man than a dog is?

Would you also say that because of the above, training cats relies almost entirely on positive reinforcement?

sillylilykitty

Yup. You cant train a cat by force, like you can with dogs, that is for sure.

brie'anna

Yeah, It so true.. I just trained my 10 year old cat to walk on a harness.. I have a video...I'll post it soon...

MuttHunter

It is definitely possible, but the results don't seem exactly the same. I watched a man with a trained cat act on some late night show, can't remember which. The cat involved in any particular trick did its job just fine but the cats on the sidelines were actually more fun to watch. Whereas dogs might have sat at attention like well-trained soldiers, totally focused on their trainer, the cats were looking around, and getting distracted by the lights, the audience, and each other's tails. The ones closest to their traveling boxes kept trying to sneak inside. They were clearly well trained but their cat minds just didn't stay focused on the odd things some silly human wanted them to do the way a dog's might.

sheplovr

Sure you can train a cat to an extent. Many years ago when my 3 children were small they wanted a kitten, I taught him to wear a harnass and tie him out on the heavy metal clothes line my grandma had up. He did fine.

We have taught them to lead, wait on dinner then tell them to eat, simple things, but we also taught Tom our last one to go to the door, I could not stand to clean out a litter box, it made me sick. He did well till very old, he left and never came back.

Franny Glass

Both my cats come on command. Sal is still a baby, so that's all he can do for now.

I trained Sylvie to sit and to use the toilet. The people toilet that is, not just her litter box. Now if I could only get her to flush it....

skunkstripe

You wanna see some wild videos of a trained cat?
Look at these...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAU3VpXCyO4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2neP-b2DzUw

sabala

You haven't heard of the Moscow Cat Theater have you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCh2G...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDwAl...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmd2W36VgPg&NR=1

sillylilykitty

Tanzie suddenly decided she wants to learn now after all this time. She can lay down and shake now and she loves doing them. My cats have to at least sit before they get their meals.

emily445455

I wish we would have trained my parents cat not to bite/scratch...she's a mean little thing...

drfong

One of my favorite professors from UF was a behavioral psychologist. He was a real die-hard behaviorist. He trained his cats to dance. I don't just mean jump around, but dance. He would tell them to dance and 1 would go turn on the radio and they would stand on their back legs, embrace and dance together. I would say you can train a cat.

blackrose

My younger sister thought it would be really neat to clicker train Pheobe (our evil, demonic kitten). She taught Pheobe to sit using the clicker. Pheobe won't sit on command, but she will sit everytime she sees the clicker! LOL

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