Today, while working on a piece about cat training for next week, I was happy to learn that it's possible to teach a cat tricks and good habits despite my abject failure (or rather non-effort) with a cat named Katie oh-so-many-years ago.
Still, even though the pros said it could be done, I needed a little more convincing and so went to that real-word repository of human behavior, You Tube. There I saw that feline tricks are no fantasy. There are plenty of cats out there with complex repertoires. If you're like me and need to see it to believe it, check out Athena's rollover [1], Winston's sea otter imitation [2] and the soccer-stylings of the amazing Toby [3].
Some cats even tackle agility. You read that right, CAT AGILITY [4] -- from the world's slowest weave poles [5] to a display so dashing it [6] would make a Border Collie double-take. Oh, and here's a link to a nine-second reminder [7] of why cats need to be trained in the first place.
Obviously, despite their reputation as elusive loners, cats thrive on engagement. They are bored and unhappy by life in a no-play, stimulation-free zone. (They also often get fat with nothing to do.)
Happily, you can add pizzazz to Mittens' existence with a few simple modifications, in addition to training and play, such as growing wheatgrass or catnip indoors and hanging a birdfeeder in front of your cat's favorite window perch. Check out the details on these and other spring and summer cat activities [8] from Tiffany Lutnick, Cat Program Supervisor at the Seattle Humane Society [9].
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