I love teaching Mubbie tricks or teaching him games, and you're right, it's something that keeps their minds engaged, which is so important for solitary indoor cats.
I've only taught him small tricks actually, like shaking hands, "high-five", "fetch" when I throw toys, or how to play a good game of "tag" or "hide and seek", stuff like that. He also jumps through hoops. I only use treats occasionally, mostly I use clicker-training (I don't have a real clicker, I use a ball-point pen I click open and shut). My next plan is to find a sturdy beach ball and teach him how to balance and walk on it. :)
Wow, that's a lot! I like the hoop idea, I'm going to do that one next. (Once I get a hoop...)
Ellie is food-orientated, so treats are what I use, too. 4-6/day, so she doesn't get that much training in each day.
I was watching a show about training cats, and the professionals use their food as reward (instead of putting a meal down for them, they get a bite of it each trick). That'd allow for a lot more training, but it's too much work for me.
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It's great that you teach her tricks to keep her busy.
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I wish I could say that the tricks were fun for both of us, but I'm sure she'd rather just get the treats without having to do the tricks.
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Ellie is food-orientated, so treats are what I use, too. 4-6/day, so she doesn't get that much training in each day.
I was watching a show about training cats, and the professionals use their food as reward (instead of putting a meal down for them, they get a bite of it each trick). That'd allow for a lot more training, but it's too much work for me.
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... my sister-in-law hates hers too!
Love Ellie New Cat's new "sleeping" spot. lol.
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