Cats are natural hunters, and they just cannot help themselves when it comes to catching something that wriggles or looks like prey. Sometimes they will hunt small animals and we don’t want our cats to necessarily kill or eat these animals. Other times they might ‘catch’ something that can be harmful to them. This is when the ‘bring’ or ‘bring it’ cue comes in handy, and you can teach your cat too.
Avoid rodents
For health reasons it is highly suggested that your cat shouldn’t catch mice and other rodents to begin with. Wild rodents can carry various diseases, like toxoplasmosis (caused by a parasite that completes its lifecycle in cats), or plague (a disease that can affect people and animals). And you want to avoid your cat getting infected by parasites and diseases.
One way to discourage your cat from catching live animals is to offer her various toys that she can safely ‘hunt’ and ‘pounce’ on. Another way to keep your cat safe, is to keep her indoors.
Training tips
Remember that cats are independent animals and they will only respond to something if they feel like it and if there is something in it for them. Before you start with any training, make sure that you have your cat’s favourite treats and toys close by. And of course, heaps of patience. Don’t expect to teach your cat in one go – it may take several repetitions to get the expected result.
And don’t try to train her when she is sleepy. She will most probably ignore you in any case. Wait until she is awake and obviously in a playful mood. Keep the training sessions short.
Steps
Follow these steps to teach her to bring something to you.
- Make sure you have her favourite treats close by.
- Allow her to play with a low value toy that she likes, but is not overexcited about, for a few seconds.
- Put a high value treat in front of her nose. She will most likely drop the toy for the treat.
- The moment she drops the toy, give her the treat, say the cue ‘bring’ and place the toy behind your back.
- When she’s finished with the treat, give her the toy again to play with.
- Repeat steps three and four a few more times and over several days.
- Once she drops the toy on your cue without you giving her a treat, give her a few treats right away. She will soon learn that responding to the cue is valuable for her.
- Gradually increase the distance between you and your cat until she drops the toy and comes to you for her treats.
