How to Teach Your Cat to Give a High Five

Cats are definitely an amazing species. With their heightened senses, and human-like persona, it is hard to resist them. Most people assume that their frisky felines can not learn the same tricks as their canine counterparts. Well, funny pet tricks aren't just for dogs and parrots anymore! With a little patience and creativity, you could have a cat that gladly gives out handshakes and high-fives on command.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Cat
• Patience
• Your cat's favorite morsels
• A calm environment

1. Make sure you and your cat are in a calm, non-distracting environment. Grab a few of your cat's favorite treats, or substitute food for a beloved toy, and keep them nearby. If your cat hasn't had its nails trimmed, try wearing gloves when teaching it this trick.

2. Allow your cat to see and smell the treats that you are holding. Bring your hand close to the cat's nose, but a bit above it. You want the cat to feel the need to reach up for the food. Your cat should instinctively reach out to hit your hand to "encourage" you to give him the food.

3. When your cat reaches up to grab the food from you, say "give high-five, (cat's name)," and turn your hand so that his paw hits your palm. Once that happens, make a big fuss over his accomplishment. Give him the treat, and a quick scratch behind the ear.

4. Repeat the above steps twice more, or until your cat begins to lose interest.

5. Later, try telling him to give you a high-five, this time without any manipulation on your part. If he's not quite ready to do the trick on his own, continue to encourage the cat to reach up with his paw to grab the treat from you. As he gets the hang of the trick, you can even tell him which paw to give a high-five with. Cats are very intelligent and usually catch on very quickly.

Tips & Warnings

• Most cats are food and toy motivated, rather than praise motivated like dogs, so try to schedule your cat's training before meal or play time.
• Trick the cat into thinking he's doing the trick on his own terms.
• Keep training sessions short and fun. Cats have short attention spans.
• Cats like to imitate, so take advantage of this. My older cat is quite easy to train and knows the same tricks as all of my dogs. My younger cat is very much a "feline," in the sense that he's just not very interested in tricks. He did, however, learn to give a high-five, handshake, and sit just from watching and copying the other cat.
• If your cat has sensitive paws, or has been declawed, they may not be interested in learning to do tricks that involve their paws.
• If you notice your cat becoming irritated, stop training immediately.
• It's good to have the cat a little hungry, so that he is receptive to food motivation.
• You may have to wear gloves or clip your cat's nails prior to training session.

[archip99]

on 9/3/2008 Very interesting ideas! I will definitely try it with my cat.

[2besure]

on 9/3/2008 I have two cats. All they do is eat and sleep. Its time they do something new.

[2besure]

on 9/3/2008 I have two cats. All they do is eat and sleep. Its time they do something new.