Daily BiscuitsThe big myth: “Cats can’t be trained.”
They can. They learn in short bursts, the same way they hunt.
Cats learn by operant conditioning: a behaviour followed by something the cat wants happens more often. A marker (a clicker, or one short word like "yes") tells the cat the exact moment it got it right. Charge the marker first: click a little way from the cat, then give a tiny treat straight away, until the cat looks for the treat on hearing the click; muffle the click in a pocket at first for a noise-sensitive cat. Then mark the instant the behaviour happens and treat within one to two seconds, one click, one treat, every time, and never use the marker for anything else. Get the behaviour by capturing (wait for a sit and mark it), luring (move a treat so the body follows) or shaping (mark small steps, like a look at the carrier, then a paw in). Add the word or hand signal last, once the cat offers the behaviour reliably. Keep sessions to one to five minutes, once or twice a day, before a meal when the cat is awake but relaxed, and stop while the cat still wants more. Once a trick is reliable, treat three times in four, then half the time, then now and then. In dog studies a spoken word taught simple tasks as well as a clicker, with the click a little faster for harder, multi-step tasks, so any consistent, short marker works. Good first tricks: nose touch to a finger (the base for most others), sit, and coming when called; never call the cat for something it dislikes, like a pill. Never punish.
Source: Kogan et al. 2017Source: Kogan, Kolus and Schoenfeld-Tacher 2017 (Animals); Humane Society of Huron Valley; Cats Protection; Chiandetti et al. 2016 and Burton 2021 (dog studies)
Three rules that make it work
- Click the moment your cat gets it. The click says “yes, that”. A spoken “yes” works too.
- Treat within two seconds. Every click, every time. Tiny pieces.
- Stop while your cat still wants more. A few minutes a day beats one long session.
Short sessions add up
15 sessions of 5 minutes, 75 min total.
100 shelter cats got better at target, sit, spin and high five in two weeks.
How sure we are: Some. Real studies, but small or with no comparison group.
A “yes” works as well as a click
In dog studies, a spoken word taught simple tasks as well as a clicker. One study found the click a little faster for harder, multi-step tricks.
What this means for you: Pick the one you’ll do the same way every time. Short, bright, and only when your cat gets it right.
How sure we are: Early (dog studies). Trainer practice, or studies done in dogs.
Half of cats picked people over food
What cats chose first, when offered all four:
- 50% People
- 37% Food
- 11% Toys
- 2% Scent
Not food-driven? Praise, a chin scratch or a quick game can be the reward.
How sure we are: Some. Real studies, but small or with no comparison group.
Carrier practice makes vet days calmer
In a controlled trial of 22 cats, the trained ones were less stressed in the car and had shorter vet exams. That’s why the carrier is trick 4.
How sure we are: Strong (but small). A controlled trial, or vet guidelines.
Rewards teach. Punishment backfires.
Do: Reward what you like, stop early, end on a win.
Skip: Spray bottles, raised voices, holding them there.
Vets warn punishment can cause fear, even aggression, and it slows learning.
How sure we are: Strong. A controlled trial, or vet guidelines.
Mark the moment, then treat
- 0 s Your cat does it
- Right then Click or “yes”
- Within 2 s Treat
A late click marks the wrong thing.
How sure we are: Early (trainer practice). Trainer practice, or studies done in dogs.
Treats are part of dinner
Use tiny pieces and take a little out of the next meal.
How sure we are: Strong. A controlled trial, or vet guidelines.
A new habit takes about two months
About 66 days on average, anywhere from 18 to 254 days.
Missing a day now and then didn’t undo it. So repeat days and rest days are fine.
How sure we are: Some (in people). Real studies, but small or with no comparison group.
Source: Lally et al. 2010
Teach one trick: sit
A cat with a job is calmer at 3am, and mouth, paw and carrier handling all get easier once they know that doing a thing earns a treat.
- Pick a moment before a meal, when they are keen. Tiny treats, something they would cross a room for.
- Hold a treat just above the nose and move it slowly back over the head. The bum lands. Say “sit” the second it does, then treat.
- Three or four reps, then stop. Thirty seconds is a session. Ending early is what keeps them keen tomorrow.
- Once sit is reliable, add a hand signal, then fade the treat lure to a reward after the fact.
- Next tricks: touch a target stick, high five, come when called. Each one is the same loop: lure, mark, treat, stop early.
They walk off
The treat is not good enough or the session ran long. Switch to something smellier and stop after two reps.
Never punish
A squirt bottle or a shout teaches them that you are unpredictable, not what to do instead. Reward the thing you want; ignore the rest.
Source: AAFP Feline Behavior Guidelines; Cat School (Julie Posluns, ACAAB)
The 30 tricks, in order
Trick School in Daily Biscuits is one path of 30 tricks, one small step a day, with a clicker built in. A cat moves on when 8 of their last 10 tries land. Carrier and handling come early, because that is where the vet research is strongest.
1. First clicks
- Charge the click (1 to 2 sessions)
- Their name means look at me (2 to 4 sessions)
- Nose touch (2 to 5 sessions)
- The carrier becomes a bed (3 to 7 sessions)
- Sit (3 to 8 sessions)
2. Come and settle
- Come when called (4 to 10 sessions)
- Follow the stick (3 to 6 sessions)
- Go to your mat (4 to 10 sessions)
- Touch, release, reward (3 to 7 sessions)
- Spin (3 to 8 sessions)
3. Handle with care
- Walk into the carrier (5 to 14 sessions)
- Paw handling (5 to 14 sessions)
- Stay (5 to 12 sessions)
- Jump onto a stool (2 to 5 sessions)
- Off the stool (2 to 4 sessions)
4. Party tricks
- High five (5 to 10 sessions)
- Lie down (5 to 12 sessions)
- Ear and mouth check (5 to 14 sessions)
- Ring a bell (4 to 10 sessions)
- Sit pretty (5 to 12 sessions)
5. Out and about
- Wear a harness indoors (5 to 14 sessions)
- Jump through a hoop (5 to 12 sessions)
- Weave through legs (5 to 12 sessions)
- Carrier: door, lift, car (10 to 30 sessions)
- Nail trim, one at a time (7 to 21 sessions)
6. Big projects
- Calm for pills (7 to 21 sessions)
- Tooth brushing (10 to 30 sessions)
- Fetch (varies a lot)
- Leash walking (14 to 40 sessions)
- A three-trick routine (5 to 10 sessions)
Session counts are estimates from trainer practice, not measured norms.
Source: Common trainer practiceSource: Kogan et al. 2017Source: Pratsch et al. 2018
What we don’t know yet
- Most cat studies are small, and many use shelter cats.
- A lot of clicker research was done in dogs.
- Our session counts per trick are estimates from trainer practice.
Further reading
- Clicker training for shelter catsKogan et al. 2017, Animals
- Carrier training reduces vet-trip stressPratsch et al. 2018, Applied Animal Behaviour Science
- What cats prefer: people, food, toys or scentVitale Shreve et al. 2017, Behavioural Processes
- Clicker, voice or food onlyChiandetti et al. 2016, dogs
- Does the clicker speed things up?Burton 2021, IAABC Foundation Journal
- Feline-friendly handling guidelinesAAFP and ISFM 2011
- Feeding treats to your catWSAVA
- How habits form in real lifeLally et al. 2010, European Journal of Social Psychology
Source: Kogan et al. 2017Source: Chiandetti et al. 2016, Burton 2021