How to Teach Your Cat Tricks From His Natural Behaviors
The best way to teach a cat tricks is by making use of his natural behavior. In the zoo you will often see a lion or tiger that will jump for his food. In the wild, these animals do such things naturally. They are a part of the cat’s normal behavior, so this makes it much easier to train them. So what other natural behaviors do cats have?
They love to climb and jump, so any trick that includes this will be one that kitty should take to with no trouble. For instance, you could teach him to jump from one stool to another to get his food. Of course, if he then wants to jump from the stool onto the counter where you don’t want him, you might have a problem.
Cats love to chase and pounce on anything that rustles, so that if you have a trick where you want kitty to chase something, make sure it also rustles. Little kittens are more playful than mature cats, so this is a good time to teach them tricks. Kittens will often chase a shadow on the floor. If this is the shadow of your hand, you can make it go up the wall and kitty will jump after it.
An older cat will often chase a tennis ball the children are hitting to each other across the yard, especially if it bounces. To the cat, it looks like a mouse bounding along. This behavior can often be incorporated into what seems to be some kind of trick, but in reality, it is a natural behavior modified or added to and the result becomes a trick.
Cats are very quick to see moving things, so you can get your cat to look as if it is shaking its head, just by using a movement at each side of the room. This can be started up a bit closer, then gradually moved further away. A noise may be used first, to get the cat to look that way.
When teaching your cat tricks, don’t confuse him by trying to do several at once. Use one movement or trick at a time and stop as soon as kitty loses interest. Choose the time of day that kitty seems to be most playful to encourage these playful behaviors and kitty will soon come to look forward to them. In no time you’ll have him doing tricks and he’ll think it’s the best fun he’s ever had. Don’t forget to reward him every time he does something you want him to and always be patient. Never punish kitty if he doesn’t do what you want. If you follow these guidelines, you and your cat can be the best of friends for always, and that’s what you want if you really love your cat.