A Cat That Plays Fetch

[Spookyandsammy]

Can you teach your cat to bring back the toy I'm trying with spooky she kinda does it but when she wants to

 

[FeebysOwner]

Tawny (RIP) fetched toys, but not because I taught him - he was 6 months old when my friend found him, so maybe his previous owner taught him?

I never even had to give him treats to get him to retrieve, but maybe you can try that approach with your cat? Give her a treat every time she returns the toy to you. It shouldn't take her too long to figure out the benefit to her in bringing the toy back to you!!

But, she is a cat after all - so, it is highly likely she will still only do it when she wants to!

 

[danteshuman]

I had a cat that loved to play fetch but he was a super high energy cat! My current kitten is a hyper punk to. Once you find out whatever their favorite small toy is, throw it away from you. Go pick up the toy and go back to your starting point and throw it again in a different direction. Then weeks later stop going to pick it up all the time, and if/when they bring the toy back over praise them, then throw it.

I think your cat has to be play motivated to learn to play fetch. I noticed Dante stopped wanting to play fetch as much as he got older. I find fetch a great way to engage/tire out hyper kittens. I wouldn’t bother trying to train them to fetch as a truck but rather as a way to entertain your cat.

 

[Spookyandsammy]

She brings the toy to my bed I will have to try that it's funny to see her with a simple shoe string tied to a ball it makes her happy

 

[Hellenww]

Yoshi, who was very high energy until 8yrs, taught himself to fetch. If I looked at him while he was returning it, he'd drop it when he saw me. As if to "You can see it so you can get it" then come sit near me so I would throw another toy for him.

 

[susanm9006]

Yes, you can teach cats to fetch. You take their favorite toy, toss it and wait a second to see if the cat goes for it. If they do, wait a minute to see if they pick it up and return it to you or bring it closer

Either way you take the toy, go back to your original spot and throw it again and repeat the waiting to see if the cat goes after it and picks it up. Once the cat seems to be enjoying you throwing the toy then you throw it and wait. If they don’t pick it up in a few minutes you go get it. If they do pick it up you wait for them to bring it closer to you. Most cats cat on to the game fairly quickly but some just aren’t interested.

 

[The_littlest_cat]

When I first got Honey as a kitten she would fetch. Idk if someone taught her to do or she just picked it up on her own. I'd throw a toy across the room and clap while chanting "bring it back, bring it back," and she would. Slowly she just stopped doing, and now if I throw a toy she just plays with it wherever it lands.

 

[kissthisangel]

Charlie Plays fetch. ALLLLLLLL NIGHT LONG. We just say "get the miceee (mee-see) over and over. If we're not doing that and he wants to play, he will just bring the toy. he was 10 weeks when we got him. I don't think we really taught him to bring it back, but we would toy throw mice for him as a kitten. When he has had enough he simply deposits the toy slightly out of our reach and goes to bed.

 

[duncanmac]

Two of my three taught themselves how to play fetch. Once I notice the first one doing it (it was totally unexpected), I praised the heck out of him every step of the way, including a very excited "Bring it to me" once he picks it up. My two tend to play fetch only with the springs for some reason - its not every toy.

 

[susanm9006]

Two of my three taught themselves how to play fetch. Once I notice the first one doing it (it was totally unexpected), I praised the heck out of him every step of the way, including a very excited "Bring it to me" once he picks it up. My two tend to play fetch only with the springs for some reason - its not every toy.

Finding the right toy is pretty important. Some of my cats only fetched bottle caps, one love springs , a couple mousies. It really depends on what the cat likes the best. My current cat only plays fetch with Pom poms that she has first dunked in her water dish.

 

[danteshuman]

Yeah my boy plays fetch goth his long haired mice (made from rabbit fur) or his rabbit fur Pom poms. Dante used to play fetch my hair bands.

 

[lutece]

The cat in my avatar loves to fetch Nerf darts. It's been a few years since my kids have actually played with Nerf guns... but we have Nerf darts specifically for her to fetch. If you try throwing something else for her to fetch, she will pick it up, but instead of bringing it back she'll drop it in some other logical place (such as the laundry basket, or your shoe).

 

[Elphaba09]

Our Estella plays fetch with my son and she occasionally will play it with me. I am trying to teach Silas, but, so far, it only works with a specific toy and about half the time.

 

[Catlover9845]

My old cat used to play fetch with some bits of wire (insulated - nothing for him to get at). We started playing, then throwing them and he went for it.

My current cat, a week or two after we got her, brought me one of her red spring toys, and "taught" me to play fetch with her. It's the only toy she'll fetch with. It's hilarious seeing her running up and jumping onto my bed with it in her mouth. Less so when it's 4am....

 

[Count]

I play fetch with Count every day. He loves it. I never taught him to do it, he just woke me up one day with a toy mouse in his mouth, I kicked the toy off the bed, and he brought it back. It started like that.