Mary Allen
Cat agility is not yet a household name to many pet owners. This is an animal sport that keeps velvet paws fit and agile. Find out what cat agility is and how you can introduce your cats to this sport.
What is Cat Agility?
In cat agility, the cat has to master an obstacle course in a certain amount of time – with as few errors as possible. The faster the velvet paw conquers the course, the better. So that the cat can master the various obstacles quickly, it is lured and guided by the master or mistress either with treats or the favorite toy.
Cat agility is a welcome change, especially for indoor cats, where both body and head stay fit. Frequent training also strengthens the bond between the owner and the cat.
In the USA, Cat Agility is now so well-known and popular that even real competitions with award ceremonies are held. In Germany, on the other hand, the sport is not that widespread, but it is enjoying increasing popularity.
One-Click, One Treat
If you want to try out cat agility together with your darling, you should start very carefully. In the beginning, all you need is your cat’s favorite treat and a clicker. First of all, you should get your cat used to the clicker and remember that a click means a favorite treat. The best way to do this is to sit down next to your house tiger, click once and, if possible, give it a treat at the same time. Repeat the process until your cat looks up at you as soon as you press the clicker.
Once the first step has been mastered, you can start using the clicker as a reward. For example, you can put a finger in front of your cat’s nose – if she touches your finger with her nose, it says “click” and treats. Here, too, you have to practice until the cat touches the finger immediately after holding it out. Once the cat has understood the principle, you can try to go a step further and run a small course with it.
Fun in the Obstacle Course
There is some preparation before agility training. You should optimally align the course to your favorite animal. There are no limits to your creativity when designing the obstacles. Initially, however, you should experiment with low hurdles or shorter tunnels. Before training, have the cat sniff and carefully inspect the obstacles so that they get to know them and are not intimidated by them.
After your velvet paw has got used to hurdles, tunnels, and ramps, you can start your first attempts and show them how to behave at the individual obstacles. For example, if you want to convey to her that she should now jump over a hurdle, it makes sense to first show her how she should behave. The best way to do this is to lift it over the bar and put it down on the other side. Then stand on the other side again and show her a treat. To get it, your darling should now jump over the hurdle without assistance.
The same applies here: Repeat the exercise until it works all by itself! In order not to confuse your cat, you should always train one obstacle after the next. In any case, remember to always use the clicker and give a treat. Once all parts of the course have been mastered individually, you can begin with the overall training of the course.
Without a Lot of Frills
In order to set up a course, you do not necessarily need special accessories. Many obstacles can also be set up very easily yourself in a few simple steps.
For a hurdle, for example, you can set up two overturned chairs opposite each other, attach a wooden board or a thin pipe to the chair legs and the first part of the course is ready for use. A slalom course can be quickly realized with flower pots or water bottles. But a tunnel is also easy to make: All you need is a large cardboard box that your cat cannot get stuck in, then you fold out the openings and the velvet paw can run through the cardboard tunnel. If you have several boxes of different sizes, these can also be easily stacked to form a staircase. The best way to do this is to fasten the individual boxes together to prevent your cat from sliding away or injuring itself.
So you see, with just a few movements and everyday objects, great obstacles can be created for a varied cat agility course.
A Strong Team
Cat agility is a great way, especially for indoor cats, to keep fit and in shape. But outdoor cats also love this varied and exciting cat sport. In addition, you can strengthen the bond between you and your house tiger. You see: Even if you have to muster a little patience and practice for cat agility, cat sport is a great opportunity for cat entertainment.