How to train a cat to come when you called

Train a cat to come to you when you called is fun as well as practical. It's a trick that all cats should know. Once you master this skill, you will be able to convene quickly to touch, feed or play with him. This will not only make life easier for your life; your cat will also benefit.

Why train your Cat to come to you?

As we mentioned above, if you teach your cat to come to you, you can call when you want to play with him or stroke, when you want to feed, when you have to take to the vet and cunning has been hidden at that moment ... etc.

There may also be times when this ability serves you to bring your cat a real hurry. For example:

  • If your cat runs away to the outside, you can call to entering

  • If you've been looking for your cat around the house and do not get to meet you, you can call and unless you are really stuck somewhere, you go running to you.

  • If you let your cat leave home, you can always call if you detect an imminent danger, like a storm, for example.

  • If you have several cats, you can call them all to "reviewing" before leaving home.

But can we teach this to a cat?

Many people believe that cats cannot be trained. This does not make much sense because cats are as smart as dogs. They just need a good reason to show their ability to learn. The key to train cats is to find ways to motivate them. It may take some time, but be excited about learning new things once you identify when he is willing.

Most cats can learn this trick quite easily. Cats that have the most problems are those who have suffered some kind of emotional disturbance or abuse in the past or were not fully socialized with humans at an early age. But even these cats, with time, probably also learn this behavior. It requires no special skills; cats understand very quickly that they get a good reward every time they do. And that's the key to this trick: use food as a motivator. Not just any food, but something delicious and irresistible to him, such as tuna, shredded chicken or whatever their favorite food or treat.

Here is the method to teach your cat to come


Choose a food or treat

First, choose a treat to use as a reward. It must be something your cat charms you, something that might even break a good nap! Do not use the hash that you put every day in its trough. Tuna, in particular, is famous for being powerfully attractive to cats (so much so, it is recommended to limit consumption of tuna cat treats as they do not become addicted to the intense flavor).

There is another healthier option that may work just as well as snacks more "sinful". If you feed your cat canned food at a certain time each day, you can use this as a reward. In fact, regular food also has another related benefit: If your kitty knows that at 6 pm each day gives a can of food, it will not matter where in the world you are, that when they approach the 6 will stop near their food bowl. But if your cat does not make you special pleasure canned food, and then do not use it as an incentive for training. The idea is to use a reward for your cat can not resist.

The catnip might be a good option for this trick, though not something universal; some cats, the minority, do not pay attention to the catnip. If your cat is who like catnip, or even go crazy with it, keep in mind that your desire for this herb usually begins to decline if they have more than once a week.


Call him!

Then call your cat unequivocally for him to go to you in order to get the tasty reward. It is preferable to something short and simple. The first paragraph of Don Quixote is probably not a good choice, but something like "Here, kitty, kitty ...", "come here", or "treat" or "reward" should work fine as long as these words are not an everyday occurrence that you use with your cat every day. It would be nice to use a different voice than usual. Consider using a high tone; Cats are naturally attuned to the treble, since so are the sounds made by their prey.

All members of your household should use the same call when you give the cat a special reward. It's okay for everyone to use a slightly different tone. Cats are excellent at distinguishing specific sounds; your cat will quickly recognize changes in the voice of each member.

In some cases, the food that you give your cat as part of this training has its own associated sounds that he recognizes and responds to those already. For example, he can go into the kitchen when she hears the can opener or the sound of opening a bag of crunchy treats. Not to worry; cats have no problem to catalog multiple beeps all the goodies and their packaging.

Be consistent; choose the one you choose, always use the same order each time you go to offer treats. This is your cat to associate the voice with reward. There may come a time when you need to call your cat urgently and have no time to look for a can of tuna or bag of your favorite treats.
Important: Do not use this command to call or any other purpose; book it just for this training exercise and reinforce the desired once you mastered this behavior.

Putting It All Together

At least once a week, practice this training exercise to reinforce the desired your cat has already succeeded in learning behavior. Just before putting something tasty on your dinner plate, delivers the order to call your choice, and you will see appear almost instantly your cat with enthusiasm and joy.

In summary

For most cats, learn to come when called is quite simple. The potential benefit of this ability is huge, and the costs of learning are very small. We could say that this is an essential for all cats trick.

Let's review the steps:

  • Select a treat or any other food that you know your cat loves.

  • Every time you give the prize, first calls him in a unique way that only you will use for this purpose and then give the treat as soon as you approach. Pronounce always the same call when you give the reward. Do not use the same voice command for anything else.

  • Also, when you call and come to you, give cuddles and caresses, as long as you like, of course.

  • Be consistent. Practice this training once or more a week.

Finally, mention that a deaf cat can also be trained in order that comes to you whenever you want, using other signals do not sound as vibrations, stamping her foot, for example, or visual cues, like a light, to be turned on and off intermittently.

Enjoy your kitten well trained! Who said that cats are impossible how to train a cat to come when you called?