. They are truly...
June 22nd, 2009
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Cats unite! It’s time to steal the show back from the dogs! The most popular pet trick show, Pet Star, lists dog stars on their site, but cats are nowhere in sight.
So, can we train our cats to roll over? It’s tough since, unlike dogs, cats have no master and thus are not eager to please. To entice your cat, try using treats. It’s good to start with simple things like “come.” Another simple trick is “up,” where the cat stretches up on his hind legs. Whatever the trick, the key is not to force them to do anything. Cats have to be convinced it’s worthwhile. After all, they prefer to get us to jump through hoops for them. |
Our cat Foxy trained US to throw a soft ball for him. Then he hurls himself after the ball without heed for life or limb, retrieves the ball, brings it back to the thrower, drops it at the feet of the thrower, and looks up expectantly… He is still working on training us to throw it just the way he wants, no dud throws. The trick is, the cat needs to believe HE is training the human, not the other way around. Not much of a trick actually, more like reality.
Tanja:
I love the way you describe this – I can see your cat pouncing on the ball. It must be their idea – that IS the trick, isn’t it?