We cat lovers know that cats are exquisitely intelligent animals – but what, exactly, does intelligence imply? Too often a stereotype is constructed in which dogs are trained and cats are….well, pampered. But training cats can be useful and even fun, both for us and for our supercilious pets.
What kinds of tasks can cats learn? Almost anything – as long as they are physically capable and they are motivated. Each animal can learn to do what it was “designed,” by nature and evolution, to do. For example, cats are agile creatures that can learn to jump onto high surfaces. No matter how appealing the reward, however, dogs cannot jump that high, even though they may be capable of learning (wanting) to. A cat may be strongly motivated to jump onto kitchen counters when food is occasionally found there. Dogs, on the other hand, are more likely than cats to lie down before their higher-ranking owners (cats are certainly social animals, but they do not form highly structured dominance hierarchies as dogs do) and can therefore be trained easily to lie down on command. If you are determined to teach your cat to lie down on command, it can be done – but the reward better be exceptional, from a feline point of view.

To teach an animal any task, the specific behavior must be reinforced (or rewarded). Cats will usually work for food if the food is attractive. Experiment with your own cat to find an appealing food reward. It is most efficient to teach your cat an association between the food and a quick sound such as a clicker. Using a clicker eliminates the need for perfect timing of the food reward. Once such an association is learned, the clicker (or bell, or other sound) can be used to quickly reinforce a desired behavior while the cat is then slowly offered, and accepts, the food reward. A simple rule of training is that newly learned tasks are rewarded each time the task is performed correctly, and then, once learned, rewarded only randomly. There is no need to have food constantly available – as long as it is periodically offered to her, your star performer will continue to do what you’ve asked.

So what kinds of behaviors or tasks might you teach your cat? The first thing that comes to mind is use of a litter box for elimination.

Karen Payne instructs, “Jump through the hoop; now sit before I give you a treat.” Payne isn’t training a dog; she’s teaching her 2-year-old cat, Countess Katlyn.

“It’s not that cats can’t learn tricks,” says Payne. “It’s just that we never ask them to.” Millions of cats are content cuddling with their people on the couch, and most only get a minimum of training instruction. But learning to use a scratching post or to keep off the counters is one thing — tricks are entirely another.

Why Bother?

The majority of our pet cats are exclusively indoor residents.
As a direct result of living dramatically less precarious lives than their outdoor counterparts, as well as getting expert veterinary care and high quality foods, these millions of indoor cats are living longer than ever before. That’s good news.

But, according to Nashville, Tennessee-based feline behaviorist Pam Bennett, “The bad news is that many of these millions of cats are bored. Many are even clinically depressed — and the inactivity contributes to the rise in feline obesity.” Not to mention a wide range of confinement-related neuroses.

Karen Payne spent nine years performing with Princess Kitty, whom she touted as the world’s smartest cat. The team astounded audiences who watched them on TV or saw them in person in schools, hospitals and nursing homes. While the Princess, who passed away in 1995, did have an amazing repertoire of 100 tricks, Payne says any cat can learn