Has anyone successfully trained their cat to play fetch?

Question

We have a new 4 month old kitten who likes to pick up pens, wads of paper and other objects in her mouth and carry them off. I am thinking that with a little bit of training she could be trained to bring it back to us. I have never done this with a cat before. Any ideas?

Answer 1

Hi there...cats can definitely trained to fetch/retrieve. There are several methods that works and you have to experiment with each to encourage the repetition of the fetch/retrieve behaviour. The idea is to always keep the game fun so your cat doesn't lose interest and she needs an primary reinforcers to reward her for her efforts. A primary reinforcer would be cat treats for her returning the toy each time for example.

Here are a few websites that lend some helpful suggestions on how to train a cat to fetch/retrieve:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A625592
http://ny.essortment.com/catsplayingfet_rkte.htm


Here are some videos of cats who fetch/retrieve:
http://youtube.com/results?search_query=fetch+cat&search=Search

Answer 2

We have 4 indoor cats and 3 of them will drop toys at your feet when they want to play and will play fetch.

One particularly likes scrunched up paper or cat balls but will look at you like you're mad if you expect him to fetch anything else. Another likes a toy we bought which has strips of material & feathers attached to a plastic stick (he carries it around the house in his mouth).

When you throw the toys for your kitten stand/sit in the same place and return to it each time you throw. Do this a few times, then when she's really enjoying herself, throw it, but don't go & fetch it yourself. Use your 'lets have fun' play time voice & encourage he to go & get the toy so that you can play some more. If your kitten comes back without the toy, get her to follow you when you go to find it, then go back the the starting position to start again.

Cats are naturally intelligent and your kitten will soon work out that if she brings the toy to you - you will throw it for her to chase, especially as she clearly enjoys chasing things.

Best wishes.x

Answer 3

My cat plays fetch. When he was younger, I used to give him the plastic rings off of gallons of milk. I would throw the rings out on the floor and he would run over and play with them. One time, he was carrying the ring in his mouth, so I went over to him and took it from him. I threw the ring down the hall and he chased after it. A few minutes later, he had the ring in his mouth again, so I again threw it. Each time I took the ring from his mouth, I praised him and pet him.

After a few more times of this, he realized he would be praised each time. It's been about 2-1/2 years and he still loves to play fetch. My ex-boyfriend even bought a mini fishing pole with a mouse at the end of the fishing line. He would cast the mouse down the hall and my cat would go to fetch it. He would run back and forth after that mouse so much, he would start panting like a dog!

Good luck with your cat!

Answer 4

YES! this can be done. I 'accidentally' trained my cat to fetch pennies! of all things! I was workng at the computer desk all of the time and sometimes there was a penny and he would paw at it trying to get it and shove it under the keyboard then fall on the keyboard trying to get it. It got on my nerves so bad one time, I just picked up the keyboard, got the penny and threw it down the hall. He jumped down, ran after the penny and brought it back in his mouth, jumped up on the desk and started pawing at it under the keyboard again! We did this time and time again! Now, he will fetch the penny whenever we throw it. Cats are so smart! They just only show it when THEY want to

Answer 5

My cat Scooter plays fetch. He also sits up and "begs" for treats. The fetching part seemed to come naturally but I think he got the begging part from watching my dog. If you throw a toy and your cat chases it and bats it around, ignore her for a while and if she wants to play some more she might start bringing it back to you.

Answer 6

My cat used to play fetch. She's 9 years old now and is just too lazy to play now! She used to play fetch with a rubber band and a twig from my artificial christmas tree. I would just throw them and she would go and pick it up. At first, I would have to call her to bring it to me because she would just play with it and not bring it back. After a little while she would go get it, drop it at me feet, and look up at me and meow. It just takes time, but yeah cats can fetch. ;-)

Answer 7

I think that you could train a cat the same way you train a dog. It is a total myth that cats can't be trained. They may not like it, but they are just as smart as dogs. In fact, I would say that they are smarter than dogs.

Answer 8

yes you have an intelligent cat, my mum has one who likes flipping playing cards off the table, you could start with buying a ball and trying to train it to pass it back to you, the clever ones will get the hang of it. My cat is very boring and does nothing.

Answer 9

If you give your cat a treat when she brings back the ball, she'll associate the treat with the activity. I have a cat who plays fetch, but he learned all by himself. He drops his little felt ball at my feet and makes me throw it, then chases it like a madman, bites it, plays with it, then brings it back to me to start all over again.

Answer 10

We have a cat who will play fetch. And he loves it!

Praise your kitty when she brings the toy back to you. Once she understands that's part of the game, she will play until she is ready to stop.