What kinds of games/skills can you teach a really smart cat?

Question

My cat is incredibly bright. He is fairly big, skinny, very glossy shiny soft coat, orange leopard spotted coat/tail, with a white belly and white face with "spectacle" marks, golden eyes, big ears, longish face. He is the most beautiful, cutest cat in the world, loves to roll on his belly and play in water. He is also verrry, verrrry smart. He can break into my fridge, his food cabinet, get up on just about any surface, and I really think he'd be good at solving puzzles or something like that if they existed for cats. He understands basic English and hand gestures pretty well, too. If I could teach him some sort of game to play in his idle hours, I think it'd make him a lot happier. Plus, he'd have something to do while I was busy. I know he's smart enough to learn. He understands mirrors and all that... but it's just - how do I go about it? And what kinds of games can a cat learn - is there anything out there, how do I explain to him? Anyway, if you have ideas, let me know.

He also knows sit, come, and fetch, and is opening a plastic bag with orange chicken right now, and will probably have the box open soon. He seems to learn more English everyday. I really want to teach him a game he can play - and maybe even some skills, like bringing the paper over or something like that. I think he needs to learn to fetch a little better though, he doesn't always bring it all the way back - or pick it up... but he can do it for hours.

As for the bag idea, I think that would be a little like pre-school for Donatello. He pulls plastic bags out of the recycling to jump into... and if they were stored in a cabinet, he would probably find them there. In fact, if I had garbage bags stored in a box somewhere he knew, in time he would get them and use them to play.

And using the toilet is fine, but his litter box is also fine... and well, that would only solve the poopoo smell problem... he needs something to do! Like, a game where he moved colored pieces around, or a small computer-type thing. He already understands my computer to a great degree. he turns off the monitor so I will play with him.

If there were a computer he could learn to manipulate that would also teach him different skills, that would be perfect.

Answer 1

to clean your room and make you breackfast in bed

Answer 2

Very smart cats can be trained to play the following games ....

1. European-rules rugby
2. Tennis (singles only)
3. Monopoly
4. Strip poker
5. Parchesi
6. Pin the tail on the yappy dog
7. Go Fish (they REALLY like this one)

Just be careful, some cats cheat.

Really smart cats can be trained to do the following:

1. Balance a checkbook using Quicken
2. Make french toast
3. Parallel parking
4. Mice juggling
5. Telemarketing
6. Sheep herding
7. DMV employee
8. insurance underwriter
9. Chimney sweep

Keep in mind that just because your cat CAN do these things, motivating him or her to WANT to do these things is another story.

Answer 3

Get some balls with holes in them and stick kitty treats in them. He'll have a lot of time rolling the balls around so that the treats drop out. I do that for my cats. I also give them catnip toys. They invent their own games.
Your cat sounds like he's beautiful.

Answer 4

Get him a bag/tunnel - they are at Petsmart or similar. It crinkles when they step on it & they love to hide in them. You can hide other toys inside it for a little variety. I also hang springy toys for mine from door knobs- I hear them banging around in the middle of the night!

Answer 5

I'm not sure how to train cats but one of my Friend's trained her cat to play dead when she said "bang Bang" and in Key West they have a circus of trained cats that do street performances.

Answer 6

There is a book on how to train them to use the toliet.

Answer 7

You should train him to use the toilet. You can use a litter quitter to help train him.