What is Clicker Training for Cats and Is It Worth It?

You've likely heard of clicker training before, but more in the context of teaching dogs tricks than anything for cats. In fact, many people think you can't train cats at all!

Nothing could be further from the truth. Cats can be trained, they just aren't as driven by the same kinds of feelings and experiences that dogs are. In fact, you already know cats can be trained; that's how they use the litter box, after all.

So, what is clicker training specifically, how does it work for cats, and is it worth using? You might be surprised at the details.

What is Clicker Training, Generally?

Clicker training is pretty simple in concept.

First, you have the clicker. A clicker is just a small device that has a button, and when you press the button, it makes a click. The click is fairly loud, which is important because you want your fur baby to be able to hear it when you're working on training.

Clickers come in a million different forms. You can pick them up from any pet store for just a few dollars, usually under $5 and definitely under $10. You might even be able to 3D print your own, though they're cheap enough either way.

What's the point? Well, the click alone doesn't do anything. So, the process of clicker training is a two-step process.

Clicker Training, Step One

The first step is to associate the sound of the click with a reward. For most cats and dogs, that means a treat, but if your cat is more motivated by pets or brushing, you can use that too. The key is for it to be a positive reward.

You click the button and offer a treat. Make sure to do this when there aren't other people trying to play with the cat, or distractions around, or anything of the sort. Clicker training works best with a distraction-free environment, at least to start.

You do this fairly frequently over the course of a day or two, aiming for a handful of sessions that last around 5-10 minutes when you don't mind giving your fur baby some treats. Repeat the process somewhere between 20 and 30 times on average. You might need more if your feline is obstinate or not food motivated, or you might need less if your cat catches on quickly.

This process is called "charging the clicker" or "clicker loading," sometimes, and can also be referred to as training a marker signal.

Clicker Training, Step Two

So, now you have your cat trained to recognize that the sound of the click means something positive: a treat. But you still haven't trained any actual behaviors.

That's where the second step comes in. Now, you get to work on training the behavior you want to see.

Start by picking the behavior. You want to start simple here, since complex behaviors can be harder to isolate. Similarly, start with adding a behavior you want to see, not removing a behavior you don't. While you can train a cat not to do something (like scratch the furniture), it's a lot harder, and it's more likely that you'll do something wrong with the clicker.

Say you've chosen a simple behavior like touching their nose to your finger when you hold it out. This can double as a "come here" signal or as a "stop biting" signal, too, so it can be a useful "trick" to train.

What you do, then, is hold out your finger while keeping the clicker ready in your other hand. When your cat investigates, likely going to rub their face on your hand, you click and offer the reward.

Your cat already knows that the click means a treat, and now there's one new factor: the thing they did. They might not get it at first, but as long as you repeat it any time you can, your cat will quickly associate the behavior with the treat.

Clicker Training, Step Three

Once they get it, you can add more to it. In particular, you can add a key phrase, something you say to get your cat to do the behavior.

This is useful for training your cat various tricks, but also for handy behaviors that avoid harmful activities.

• Train them to touch your hand with their nose as a way to teach them a key phrase that gets them to stop biting or scratching something.

• Train them to sit, either where they are or in a specific place, and add a key phrase you say to get them to go sit there while you open the door, which avoids letting them escape.

• Train them to stop what they're doing, along with a key phrase you can use as an emergency way to get them to stop before they grab your dinner or step on a hot burner on the oven.

There are all sorts of good reasons to use clicker training, not just as a parlor trick, but as a safety boon.

Once you have the "trick" down, you can use the same clicker to train other behaviors. You'd be surprised at how many commands and behaviors a cat can learn.

Does Clicker Training Work on Cats?

If you haven't caught on by now, the answer is a firm yes! Cats are fairly simple creatures when you get right down to it. They like what they like, they dislike what they don't, and they're happy to enjoy their lives as they can.

They're also very receptive to positive stimuli. When you do something they like, they'll take advantage of it and enjoy it as much as possible. They catch on quite quickly, and with the right reward, you can train them to do all kinds of things.

Tips for Successful Cat Clicker Training

While clicker training a cat is fairly simple, it's also easy to get wrong, and there are some things you can do to make sure it goes right.

Keep clicker training sessions short. As you probably already know, cats don't have endless attention spans. They'll get bored of the same thing going on too long (other than a nap, of course), so eventually they'll lose interest in your training.

Clicker training sessions can stay at 10 to 20 minutes and work just fine. That's great, too, because if you overdo it, you risk giving them too many treats, which is harmful in its own way.

Work on one trick or behavior at a time. The clicker is an intermediary and is part of the training process, but the more you try to do at once, the muddier the signals get. You don't want to be sending mixed messages! So, pick a behavior, train it until it's consistent, and then move on to the next.

Only use the clicker for training. If you're a naturally fidgety person, try not to keep the clicker on hand unless you really need to. If you click without an associated behavior, you disrupt the training.

Consider a high-value treat only used for training. Something your cat really loves, but you only give them as part of training, makes for the best treat. This tends to be easier with dogs than with cats, but some high-value, tasty foods can work well.

Remember that the clicker is a carrier signal. Never try to click to get your cat to do something. That's the equivalent of training them that the click is the same as the command. Imagine if you had to click instead of saying "sit" to a dog; it would be a whole different situation, right?

That honestly wouldn't be bad, except you need a distinct command for each trick, and if you use the click for one of them, then your clicker doesn't work for general training anymore. It's one of the most common mistakes in clicker training, and while it can be undone, it's tricky to fix.

Check the way your cat reacts to the click before you start using it. If your cat freaks out or is very startled at the click, it won't be a good fit for training. You want something that they hear and recognize, but not something that startles them or elicits a negative reaction.

What Kinds of Tricks or Behaviors can You Teach a Cat?

All kinds of things! Some behaviors are going to be harder to get your cat to do than others, but heck, people used to train cats to jump through shoulder-high hoops on stage, and if you can train a cat to do that, you can train anything.

Some ideas, though:

• Fetch! Cats like to play, chase, and hunt, but they aren't always going to retrieve what they catch. You can train them to play fetch by using the clicker to reward them when they bring the item back to you.

• Sit. Getting your cat to stop what they're doing and sit where they are can be a good behavior for safety, in case they're getting into things they shouldn't. It's also impressive to people who don't know cats can be trained.

• Come. Getting your cat to come to you when you call them is as simple as rewarding them when they come to you after you say their name as a command. It's also handy in the awful case that your cat gets out; if they come when you call, they're more likely to crawl out of wherever they're hiding and come home.

You can also train a lot of common dog commands, like shake, roll over, or go to bed.

On top of that, it's usually a good idea to train in some negative behaviors as well. I've already mentioned getting them to stop scratching the furniture, but you can also use clicker training to get them to stop pushing things off of high shelves or climbing up things they shouldn't, like your curtains or legs.

Cat Clicker Training FAQ

Wrapping things up, there are a couple of details I wanted to mention that I didn't find space to work in up top.

Do I really need a clicker? Can't I just snap my fingers or make a noise?

You can try, but a clicker has a few benefits.

The main benefit is that it's a very consistent sound. The noises you make are noises you can make in other situations too; snapping a finger to get someone's attention, clicking a tongue to express disdain, and so on. The point of the clicker is that it's a consistent noise that can't be used in other ways.

My cat doesn't like the sound of the click. What can I do?

Try a different clicker. A lot of clickers are loud, sharp sounds, since they're meant for dogs. Cats can be more sensitive to sudden noises like that, and might not respond to them as well. Try a quieter clicker, or something that makes a different noise entirely.

Electronic "clickers" that play a distinct but softer sound can work the same way. The key is that it needs to be fast and responsive, while being 100% consistent, which is why you can't just use your voice or snap your fingers or something similar.

My cat is deaf, can I still do clicker training?

Maybe, but it will be a lot harder.

You can try using a light source that's bright enough (sort of like a camera flash, for those of you who remember cameras that flash), and I've heard of some people using "shock" collars that vibrate as an indicator, though not all cats tolerate a collar easily.

How long does it take to clicker train a new trick?

Honestly? Not very long. I've seen cats pick up on the clicker charging in less than an hour, and they can learn a new trick in under a day if they're engaged enough with the process. More complex behaviors take longer to train, but as long as you're patient, consistent, and take it step by step, you can get a lot done in just a few days.

So, what do you think? Have you ever clicker trained a fur baby, and if so, how did it work? Have you clicker trained a cat before? Talk to me about it in the comments!