Clicker Training for Cats: Teaching Your Feline Fun Tricks

Why Clicker Training?

Clicker training is a form of positive reinforcement training. The basic idea: you click at the exact moment your cat does something you like, then give a treat. The cat learns “click means I did something right and a treat is coming.”

Cats respond well to this because it’s clear and immediate – much clearer than just saying “good kitty” (though say that too, they like praise!). The click is a distinct, consistent sound that isn’t used at other times, so it grabs their attention and marks the behavior precisely.

Benefits of clicker training:

• It engages your cat’s mind. Bored cat? Training gives them a job.
• It can reduce problem behaviors by channeling energy into something productive. A cat that’s mentally and physically stimulated is less likely to scratch the couch out of boredom or get into mischief.
• It strengthens your bond. Training is teamwork, and cats do enjoy the one-on-one interaction (especially with treats involved!).
• It can be used for practical purposes: training your cat to come when called, go into their carrier, or even accept grooming, all with less stress.
• And of course, it’s fun to show off a high-fiving cat.

Getting Started: The Basics

Supplies you need:

• A clicker (available at pet stores or online, often for just a couple bucks). If you don’t have one, you can use a retractable pen (that makes a click sound) or even a tongue click, but the little box clickers are easiest.
• Treats that your cat LOVES. Think small, soft, and yummy. You’ll be giving several, so make them tiny – either break up treats or use something like bits of cooked chicken, squeeze-up lickable treats (you can give a small lick as a reward), or commercial cat treats. Some use the cat’s kibble if the cat is food-motivated enough and it’s close to mealtime.
• A quiet environment with minimal distractions for training sessions.

“Charging” the Clicker:
The first thing is to teach your cat that click = treat. This is sometimes called charging or priming the clicker. It’s simple:

1. With your cat nearby, click the clicker one time and immediately toss a delicious treat in front of them.
2. Repeat this click→treat sequence about 5-10 times, with a few seconds in between each.
3. Your cat doesn’t have to do anything at this point; they’re just learning that sound means a treat is coming. You might notice after a few repeats, they look at you eagerly after the click, expecting the treat – that’s what we want.

Cats are smart – many will make the association after just one session. To be sure, you can do this in a couple of short sessions. After this, the clicker is “charged.” Now the click has meaning to the cat (essentially, “Good!”).

Teaching Basic Behaviors

It’s often best to start with a simple trick like “sit”. This sets the stage for understanding the training game.

Teaching “Sit”:

1. Wait for (or lure) your cat to be in a sitting position. You can lure by holding a treat above their head and slightly back so they look up and naturally their butt might go down. Or if your cat often sits on their own, you can catch that moment.
2. As soon as their butt touches the floor – click! Then immediately give a treat.
3. Cats may be a bit confused at first (“why did I get a treat?”). But do this consistently every time they sit in front of you. Use a verbal cue “sit” only after you see they’re starting to get it.
4. Many cats will catch on that butt on ground = treat. They may start offering a sit to earn a click.
5. Once you’re confident they’re deliberately sitting to get the treat, you can start saying “Sit” right as they start to move into position, then click and reward.
6. Over time, you’ll click only for sits that happen after you gave the cue (to not reward random sitting when un-cued). But in early stages, you’re just reinforcing the action.

Teaching “High-Five”:
This is a crowd-pleaser and not too hard to train.

1. Start by getting your cat to lift a paw. Many cats do this when playing or reaching for something.
2. You can encourage paw lifting by holding a treat in a closed fist and letting the cat sniff. Often they’ll paw at your hand to try to get it. The moment the paw comes up – click, and open your hand to give the treat.
3. Keep doing this until the cat is raising a paw reliably when they see your hand closed.
4. Now start saying “High five” or “Gimme five” (or whatever cue) as you present your open palm. At first, you might still need to lure by holding a treat near your hand or do the closed fist and then open. But eventually, the cat will touch your open palm with their paw – that’s the high-five! Click & treat.
5. Practice in short bursts. Some cats get this trick in just a few sessions.
6. Pro-tip: Some cats find it easier if you start with your hand lower, even just a few inches off the ground, then raise it higher as they get the idea of paw = hand target.

Teaching “Come When Called”:
It’s incredibly useful to have your cat come to you when you call (like if they sneaked out to the backyard, or it’s meds time, etc.). Cats can learn their name or a specific call word.

1. Use a specific call each time (like “Here, Kitty Kitty!” or whistle, or just their name).
2. Initially, reward any approach to you when you call. Start in short distances. Say “[Name], come!” in a happy voice. If they even look at you or take a step, click-treat.
3. Many cats will come readily if you crinkle a treat bag or tap the food bowl – incorporate your call before doing that so they associate the call with good stuff too.
4. When they come to you, click and give a really yummy reward (make coming extra rewarding).
5. Practice across the room, then from different rooms. Always praise and reward. Eventually, they’ll respond just to the call, but do refresh it now and then with treats so they don’t decide it’s not worth it.
6. Use the clicker for initial training (like each step closer gets a click-treat, or at least the full come gets a click). After they really know it, you might phase out the click and just reward occasionally to keep it strong.

Teaching “Touch” (Target Training):
This is where you teach your cat to touch their nose to a target, like your finger or a small stick with a ball on the end. It’s useful as a foundation for other tricks (you can lead a cat around with a target once they know to follow and touch it).

1. Present your chosen target an inch away from your cat’s nose. Most cats will naturally sniff it.
2. The moment they touch it with their nose – click and treat.
3. Repeat until they clearly understand touching = reward. You can then add a cue like “touch.”
4. Now you can move the target slightly farther, or to the side, and they should move to touch it.
5. This target trick can later help with agility training or even getting a cat into a carrier (follow the target inside).

Note on Training Sessions: Keep them short and sweet. Cats have short attention spans. Maybe 5 minutes is plenty, or even just 5-10 clicks/treats in one go. End before your cat loses interest. It’s better to do multiple mini-sessions a day than one long one.

Training Tips and Tricks

• Use tiny treats: Since you’ll give many, make them small. You can even use your cat’s daily kibble portion for training to avoid overfeeding, especially if they’re on the chubby side.
• Consistency: Click during the desired behavior, never after it’s completely done. Timing is key. If your cat stands up right after sitting and you click late, they’ll think they’re being rewarded for standing up.
• One behavior at a time: Early on, focus on one trick until your cat gets it. Once they understand the game, you can train multiple in parallel in different sessions, but don’t confuse kitty by asking for multiple new behaviors at once.
• No punishment: If kitty does the wrong thing, you simply don’t click and don’t reward. You can reset and try again. Never punish for not “obeying” – cats don’t respond to that, and it will only make them dislike training.
• Find the right motivation: If your cat isn’t super food-motivated, find what they love. Some will work for a favorite toy (click then toss a toy to chase), or a quick play with a feather as a reward. But most cats have some treat that gets them excited – it might be tuna, bits of salmon, Churu squeeze treats, etc.
• Keep it fun: If you or the cat are getting frustrated, take a break. You want training to be a fun game, not a chore.
• Capturing vs. Luring: Two ways to train: capturing means you wait for the cat to do the behavior naturally, then click (like sitting on their own). Luring means you coax them into position (like using a treat to make them sit or spin). Use whichever works best for the situation. Don’t be afraid to use a lure, just eventually phase out the lure so they aren’t dependent on seeing a treat to do the trick.
• Adding a Cue: Only add your verbal cue or hand signal when you see the cat is about to do the behavior, and eventually just before they do it. For example, once your cat is reliably raising a paw, start saying “High-five” right before you think they will. Soon they’ll do it when you say it. At that point, you click-treat only when you’ve given the cue.
• End on a good note: Try to finish a session when your cat did something right and got a reward. That way they finish happy and will be eager next time. You can always fall back to an easy one like a touch or sit if a new trick wasn’t going well, so you can get that success before ending.

Trick Ideas to Try

Once your cat masters the basics, the sky's the limit. Here are some fun ones:

• Spin in a Circle: Use a treat to lure them in a circle, click when they complete it. Add cue “spin.”
• Lay Down: Lure treat from a sit to the ground to get a lie-down.
• Jump Through a Hoop: Start with a hula hoop on ground, click for walking through. Raise it over time.
• Go to Mat/Place: Teach them to go sit on a specific mat or bed on cue (useful for managing where they hang out).
• Wave: Similar to high-five, but you reward when they lift paw and kind of swipe the air (you can shape a high-five into a wave by not giving your hand to touch every time).
• Ring a Bell: Some people put a desk bell and teach the cat to paw-target it for a treat. Cute way for them to “ask” for something.
• Jump on/off things on cue: Could be part of a homemade agility course! Many cats love jumping.

Every cat has their own personality. Some might be trick superstars; others might only learn a couple of behaviors. That’s okay. Tailor it to your cat’s interests. If your cat loves to fetch naturally, focus on that game and put it on cue. If they tend to beg (sit up on hind legs), train that as “sit pretty.”

Incorporating Training into Daily Life

You don’t have to set aside dedicated time every single day (though that’s great if you do). You can incorporate little training moments into your routine:

• Call your cat for meals – click when they arrive.
• Ask for a sit before you put the food bowl down.
• Do a quick high-five session during a commercial break of your TV show.
• Make them “work” a bit for treats or toys by doing a trick.

Keep it light. Cats often enjoy the interaction. If you see your cat coming over to where you keep the clicker or treats and looking at you expectantly, they might be asking for a training session. It happens!

Finally, be patient and enjoy the process. Some cats learn lightning fast (especially younger cats or those very food motivated). Others may need repetition. Never compare your cat to someone’s on YouTube that’s doing backflips – focus on the progress you two make together. Even just teaching your cat to calmly come when called is a huge win.

With clicker training, you’re basically learning how to communicate with your cat. Once they realize that they can make you click (and thus earn goodies) by figuring out what you want, you’ll often see them start trying to “train you” – doing the trick unasked to get you to give treats. That’s a great sign of a clever cat who’s into the game. Then you know they’re hooked on learning, and you can keep challenging them with new fun tasks. A busy cat mind is a happy cat mind!

Sources: Pasadena Humane’s step-by-step clicker training guide for cats; Tuft + Paw on the benefits of clicker training and how it reinforces desired behaviors without punishment; CatHealth.com on teaching a cat to come with clicker training.