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how can i teach my cat to play fetch?

she likes to chase after it but she isn’t really getting the whole bringing it back aspect of fetch 

Posted - July 31, 2020
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Responses


  • 34466
    We had a couple of cats that would fetch.  But we did not teach them they just started it one day.  They would only do it with these little soft plastic suction cup darts.  I do not remember if we shot one and he brought it back or just found one and brought it to us. 
      July 31, 2020 11:23 AM MDT
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  • 1817
    this is genius I’m getting one of these 
      July 31, 2020 11:25 AM MDT
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  • 34466
    Just remembered they also liked to use the twisty bread ties.  I think it was a matter of it being small enough for their mouths.  

    But with the bread ties sometimes they would loose track of where it was.  The darts were easier to see. 
      July 31, 2020 12:26 PM MDT
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  • 13395
    Fetching is what dogs do; cats expect their servants to do the fetching. 
      July 31, 2020 12:21 PM MDT
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  • 34466
    We had two cats that liked to play fetch.  I think they considered us serving them by throwing it for them to chase.  
      July 31, 2020 12:24 PM MDT
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  • 13395
    I would take my gal friend's cat out into the courtyard at her place where he liked chasing after sponge balls but when he fetched he would take the balls inside and hide them somewhere.  I always had to carry extra balls to be able keep him active outside. 
      July 31, 2020 12:36 PM MDT
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  • 34466
    We had some dog's who were not good at bringing anything back either. LOL
      July 31, 2020 12:51 PM MDT
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  • The cats we have are self taught fetchers...have done it ever since they were kittens. Cats are hard to really teach anything to. 
      July 31, 2020 12:50 PM MDT
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  • 10664

    Repetition and patience.  Don’t expect a cat to fetch like a dog.  Cats have to do things their way and in their own sweet time.  A curious cat is more likely to learn to fetch that one who isn’t. 

    I taught my cat to play fetch when he was over a year old.  I wadded up a small piece of paper and tossed it at him.  Then I reached out and pulled it back.  I repeated this numerous times.  Eventually, he batted it back to me.  So I tossed out further, making sure he was watching (cats get bored easily), and waited.  My cat is extremely curious.  He couldn’t let that paper be that far out without checking it out.  I told him to bring it back and I’d throw it again.  After several days of doing this, he finally picked up the paper and brought it a few inches back.  We continued this game for over a month, and each time he’d bring the paper closer and close to me until finally he got it within a few inches.  It got so I could throw the paper into another room or around a corner and he’d go and bring it back… in his own sweet time, of course. 

      July 31, 2020 1:18 PM MDT
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