5 Cat Breeds Who Take Well to Training

[KamaAina]

http://xfinity.comcast.net/blogs/lifestyle/2014/08/29/5-cat-breeds-who-take-well-to-training/

Cat training: It sounds like an oxymoron, doesn’t it?

I know there are plenty of people out there who don’t believe cats can be trained, but a quick YouTube search brings up dozens of videos of cats doing activities as exotic as jumping through flaming hoops or running agility courses or as mundane as sitting or coming on command. Cats can learn to walk on leash and even use a toilet instead of a litterbox. (But what I want to know is, can you teach them to flush?)

Now, does that mean that every cat is a feline Einstein? Just as with people, intelligence and trainability vary among cat breeds and even within breeds. For instance, it’s highly unlikely that you’re going to find a Persian or an Exotic Shorthair jumping through rings of fire (which actually may make them the most intelligent of cats). Those cats simply take a more relaxed view of life.

Some breeds or individuals are definitely more willing to learn — and to show off their talents — than others. Let’s meet five cat breeds who are renowned for their brains and trainability, which are not always the same thing. (I’m listing them in alphabetical order; I’m not about to say that one is more intelligent than another.)

Rejoice! Domestic shorthairs (your basic, everyday kitteh) are on the list!

[LoveMyCali]

1. This crazy eyed

little American shorthair does not agree with this assessment.

[Skittles]

11. ooh I have one of those solid black dsh Svengalis:

[LoveMyCali]

12. Beautiful!

But I see the same crazy-eyed look I'm used to getting from Raven. I don't know about you but I admit I'm not nearly tough enough to try to train my little devil. She on the other hand has me pretty much the way she wants me.

[Skittles]

13. my baby is 16 now but still spry

love black cats.

[LoveMyCali]

14. I'm a black cat convert

Rave is my first black cat and she's only about 3 years old now so hopefully there will be may years to come with this little character.

[Skittles]

15. I've had a few

there's something about how their eyes dominate their face

[MuseRider]

2. My Bobtail sits and will sit up and beg if I am patient.

I have not tried the other two but one is mellow enough and was placed with us when he was just about 7 weeks old (he was left at a High School under a car in December) so he really trusts me to do things with him but the other was feral until a couple of years ago so I don't know about him. He loves me so he might with enough patience. Cool! At a horse trainers where I used to have one of my horses all the barn cats were trained to sit and lay down.

[JimDandy]

3. The five: Abyssinian, American Shorthair/Domestic Shorthair, Bengal, Savannah, Siamese

Explains what they each are best trained for.

[KamaAina]

5. An online friend has a Savannah -- named Bob! -- and he has a blog!!

edit: Bob, as in Bob Cat.

http://bobthesavannahcat.blogspot.com/

[bamademo]

6. I'm glad that poor little lady has Bob.

[KamaAina]

7. What is poor about her?!

Except possibly for her income?

She has her own podcast focused on disability issues called "Hash It Out With Jane"!

http://hashitoutwithjane.blogspot.com/

In fact, I wish her "man squeeze" would fall off the face of the Earth. So there.

[shenmue]

4. Meow

I can't wait to adopt a kitteh.

[lunatica]

8. Cats train people better than people train cats

That's why they always look so self-satisfied.

[antiquie]

9. Ocicats are brats

The breed was established from Siamese and Abyssinian stock; later, American Shorthairs (silver tabbies) were added to the mix and gave the breed their silver color, bone structure and distinct markings. more


My girl during a supervised backyard outing.

[mythology]

10. Every cat takes well to training

That's why they are so effective at training their human staff.

Now for actually training a cat to do what I want? Not so much.