How to Teach Your Cat to Fetch

Cats are known for doing whatever they want, whenever they want, and paying little attention to what their owners want. It is true that they have a spirit of independence that places them in a class of their own. Having said that, your adorable cat is extremely intelligent and probably has picked up a few cool cat tricks, such as giving you a (cute) high five, coming to you when you call their name, and even playing a game of fetch. You only need to be patient and determined, and some tasty cat treats are always helpful. We inquired with the experts about including fetch in your cat's playtime.

The Complete Guide to Teaching a Cat to Fetch

Although we wouldn't be lying if we said that teaching your cat to fetch is simple, it is absolutely possible. Dr. explains, "Due to the cat's independent nature, training your cat to fetch may be more challenging than teaching a dog." A veterinarian employed by The Vets of Austin, Texas, is Nicole Savageau, VMD. Nevertheless, it is doable! Begin by going through these steps.

1. Choose a Deserving Cat Toy

Tossing and retrieving a good toy is necessary for every game of fetch. Choose something that is light and simple for your cat to swallow to bring back to you. A great option is one that can be filled with catnip or a treat, like the Frisco Squirrel Plush Cat Toy with Refillable Catnip. You could also make use of an existing toy that your cat enjoys playing with.

2. Play the toy with your cat in front of it.

Enter for some enjoyable playtime with your chosen toy. Try a few different things to see what piques your cat's interest. You could: It should be waved at your cat. Roll it around on the ground. Throw it into the air. If you can, play a little tug-of-war. Anything you can do to pique the interest of your cat is a win! The objective is to get your cat excited about this toy and make it appear to be the most fascinating thing in the world. They are more likely to pursue it the more intrigued they are.

3. Throw the toy only a short distance.

Throw the toy a short distance once your cat shows interest. Ideally, your kitty chases after it and picks it up. If they do, celebrate their action by giving them a tasty cat treat right away and giving them a verbal cue like "Yes!" or "Good!" and a lot of praise.

4. Encourage Searching

Encourage your cat to retrieve the toy once they are accustomed to chasing it. Instead of going to them and the toy's new location, you can accomplish this by tossing it and staying put. Use your chosen verbal cue to encourage the behavior once they have the toy in their mouth or paws after they go to it. After that, cheerfully and gently yell their name. To encourage them to return to you, carry a treat with you. Bring out the treats and praise if your cat fetches the toy—also known as running after it, picking it up, and returning it to you.

5. Keep working at it

Like with any training, it's important for cat parents to stick with it and keep working on this skill with their cat. This procedure may move quickly, but it may take weeks or months as opposed to hours. (Sorry!)

If your cat enjoys the game, he or she will get better at learning how to fetch over time! However, you should avoid working too hard because you do not want to bore them or prevent them from playing in the future. It's okay to practice for a few minutes at a time—about ten, or less if your cat doesn't seem interested before that.

Tips for Training a Cat

Even though cats may appear distant, they can be trained. You can teach them to sit, give a high five, spin, jump, and many other skills in addition to fetch. Dr. Savageau reminds us that teaching cats tricks, however, isn’t quite the same as training a dog.

Concentrate on rewarding them. Dr. says, "Cats are typically more independent and may not have the same desire to please their pet parents as dogs." Savageau asserts. In that sense, they simply lack the same drive. To entice them, use enjoyable rewards like treats and under-the-chin scratches. Keep it brief. Because cats may have shorter attention spans, training sessions might need to be short and interesting to keep them interested. It's time to move on and return to the game another day when they lose interest. Try training with clickers. Dr. notes that "clicker training can be an effective way to train cats." Savageau. "Use the clicker to immediately mark the desired behavior, and reward it with a treat." Consider giving the Frisco Pet Training Clicker with Wrist Band a shot. Maintain your course. In general, training cats takes longer than training dogs. There is no evidence to suggest that cats lack intelligence, as any cat would affirm! Instead, they don't always care as much about doing tricks. Keep up your efforts in training with patience and consistency.

Why does my cat engage in fetch play? Is it typical?

Therefore, you discovered a shortcut for teaching your cat to play fetch, and you didn't even have to spend a lot of time training it! Even though we don't usually think of cats playing a game of fetch, they can pick up this fun cat behavior without any training or practice. Dr. says, "Some cats naturally exhibit fetching behavior, and it's not uncommon for pet parents to encourage this behavior unintentionally through positive reinforcement." Savageau elaborates. "It can be considered relatively normal for a cat to play fetch, especially if they appear to enjoy the activity," says the author. Essentially, they were enticed by a toy at some point, which you either tossed or they brought to you while you were doing other things. Additionally, they eventually learned that if they return the toy to you (possibly while meowing adorablely!) that you could simply launch it into the air for them to pursue. And in the event that they brought it back? The game might just continue for a while longer. Teaching cats how to play a game of fetch can encourage bonding and exciting playtime, and training cats is just one of the many joys of being a cat parent. Naturally, some cats simply do not enjoy playing fetch or performing cat tricks as much as others, and that is perfectly acceptable! Don't try to force this trick on your cute little meow factory if that's the case. Instead, find a new way to interact with them, like cuddling, going for walks, playing hide-and-seek, or playing laser tag.