How to Teach Your Cat to Come When You Call Them

There's a certain kind of public image of cats that most people (including many cat parents) share. You know it; the idea of a cat as an aloof, proud, independent, and standoffish creature. Cats don't pay attention when you call them, cats don't show affection, cats don't care about their humans beyond their next meal.

Once you've experienced the love of an affectionate cat, the attachment and bond they can form with you, and the way they can listen and respond as well as any dog, you know this public image is nothing but slander against our fine feline friends.

The truth is, a lot of people just don't know how to interact with cats. Cats have particulars in body language and in instinctual behavior that are very different from dogs, and people who are used to dogs as companion animals aren't going to intuit how to engage with a cat on their terms. It leads to a lot of friction and bad vibes, and can escalate to conflict.

If you're a cat parent and you want to train your cat, one of the best "tricks" to train is coming when called. It's also easier than you might think, so let's talk all about it!

Can Cats Be Trained?

Of course! In fact, there's a decent chance your cat is already trained, at least in a few ways, even if you didn't do it intentionally and don't even realize it.

First of all, consider the litter box. Cats don't have an instinctual awareness of what a litter box is, right? Outside, the ground everywhere is a potential place to go, and a lot of their behaviors around it are related to scent-marking and territory defense. For them to pick one place in your home to do their business is a form of training.

Another example centers around food. When you crack open a can of cat food or rustle the kibble bag, and your cat comes running, that's a form of call-and-response training. They know a sound relates to an action (being fed), and they come when "called" by the sound of food.

Some cats even learn tricks. With techniques like clicker training, you can teach a cat to sit, to shake, or even to play fetch!

In fact, training a cat is a lot easier than you might think. You just need to know how to do it right. Fortunately, that's what the rest of this post is about.

What Do You Need to Train Your Cat to Come When Called?

To train your cat to come when you call them, you need a few things.

The first is… a name. Yes, surprisingly enough, some people don't have a consistent name for their cats, and that makes it a lot harder to teach them to respond to that name. You don't have to use their "legal name" (the one on their vet paperwork), especially if it's longer and clunky, but you want something you can use as a consistent sound call to bring them running.

Trust me, your cat won't care what you're calling them, as long as it's not you trying to meow or hiss at them. They don't really learn human words the way we do, or understand the meaning behind them. Calling them Nigel or Butthead or Stinky or Prettykitty or whatever else, it's all fine, as long as you're consistent about it.

If you don't want their name alone to be the calling command, you can add "come" to it or another command. Again, it doesn't specifically matter what sound you use, just that you use a consistent one.

The second thing you need to train your cat is a motivational treat. This could be a baggy of treats, or one of those tubes of meat good they love so much, or anything else they like. If they're already used to the noise the container makes when you open it, and come running, you're already halfway done with training!

Keep in mind that treats are rich and calorically dense, so you want to dial back on their normal food a little bit to make sure they stay healthy while you train them.

As I linked above, you can use a clicker if you want. You don't really need it for just one or two "tricks" like coming when you call, but if you're going to train them to do more different actions, establishing a baseline reward with a clicker is a good idea.

And that's it! It's really quite simple to train a cat to do something, and coming when you call them is one of the easiest behaviors to build.

The 5 Step Process to Train a Cat to Come When You Call Them

The actual step-by-step process of training your cat to come when you call their name is quite easy.

Step 1: Establish the Expectation and Reward

The first step is to establish what you're expecting and what they can expect when they respond.

Start by standing next to your cat. You want them to be awake, alert, but not too frisky; you're looking for a cat that is ready to engage with you, but isn't rearing to go with their favorite toy. If they're ignoring you in favor of attacking your shoelaces, wait for them to calm down.

What you want to do is look at them while holding whatever treat package you have for them (and a clicker, if you're using one). Say their name and, if you're using one, your command. So, "Mabel!" or "Mabel, come!"

When you say your command, crinkle the treat pouch or make whatever noise it makes to attract them, and give them a treat. It doesn't need to be a lot of treat, just a few licks or a single bite, but the reward needs to be there.

Repeat this 3-5 times over the course of 5-10 minutes, then stop your session.

Step 2: Repeat Step 1 for a Few Days

Your second step is the same as the first step.

Find and stand next to your cat. Say their name and the command, crinkle the treat package if necessary, and give them their reward. Do this a handful of times, then halt the session.

Step 3: Increase Distance

After a few days of repetitions, your cat will start to learn to associate their name and the command with a treat. Now it's time to add some distance to the process.

Start by standing 5-10 feet away. You want your cat to know you're there, to be able to see you, but not to be immediately in arm's reach.

Do the same thing here; crinkle the treat packet while saying their name and the command. At this point, there's a really good chance that your cat will already know that this combination of noises means a treat, so they'll come right to you for their reward.

You can also do this in other postures. If they're across the room and you're sitting down, give it a try.

Step 4: Add Complexity

Next up, it's time to add some more complexity to the situation. You can do this in a few different ways.

• Find where your cat is, but stand around a corner or out of the room to call them.

• Make sure one of their favorite toys is nearby, which would be a distraction for them to overcome.

• Increase the distance so you're calling them from further away, but where they can still see you, like down a hall.

• If your cat is harness-trained, take them outside and practice where they're full of distractions.

The goal is to test their engagement and get them to prioritize coming to you over other possible distractions.

If you find that your cat isn't responding to you in these kinds of environments or situations, go back to step three and take it a little slower. Some cats catch on very quickly, while others take a while to get it, or are more easily distracted.

Step 5: Reduce the Rewards

Your last step is to start reducing the rewards you give until your cat comes to you without the expectation of anything in return. Start by dropping the reward from every second call, then only reward them every third. From there, vary it up randomly. Maybe you reward them after two calls, then after four, then after five.

You can also vary what the reward is. If your cat really likes to be brushed or get ear scritches, you can start replacing treats with those rewards, since they're healthier for your fur baby. After all, you don't want them heavily reliant on treats all the time!

Eventually, you should have a cat that comes to you when you call them. At this point, all you need to do is make sure to keep practicing from time to time so the behavior stays fresh in their mind. Now, work on other training and tricks if you want!

What to Avoid When Training Your Cat to Come When You Call Them

There are a few things you should always avoid doing when you're trying to train your cat to come when you call them.

First, never punish them for being slow or ignoring you. Punishment at all doesn't work; all it does is break trust with you and your feline friend, and can even lead to behavioral problems down the line. You want them to feel rewarded and loved when they come to you, not fear you.

Second, don't call them when you need to do something unpleasant. If you need to give them medicine or a shot they don't like, or trim their nails, or give them a bath, or put them in a carrier and take them to the vet, that's a negative experience for them. If you call them and "reward" them with that negative experience, they'll build an association and start to ignore you.

Third, don't push it. If you try to rush training too much, too fast, you can overstimulate your kitty, or even irritate them to the point that they'll want to run and hide. Training should be frequent but short, until they've gotten the action down and you can reliably repeat it.

Basically, just be aware that negativity can also be associated with a behavior, and you want to avoid building that association into something you want to encourage.

Common Questions About Cat Recall Training

There are a few more things I wanted to cover that didn't fit nicely above, so I've put them here. If you have a question I haven't covered, feel free to ask in the comments, too!

How old is too old to train a cat to come when you call?

There's no real upper age limit! Kittens naturally learn faster, but they're also a lot more easily distracted and can be harder to pin down long enough to train. Young adult cats are also easy to train, but don't worry if your cat is four or five already; you can still train them just fine.

The "upper limit" is really once your cat reaches senior status. If they're old enough that they're starting to go deaf, or they're too sleepy to be motivated by treats, or that jumping up to come when called is painful on their joints, you will have a harder time with the process.

Can you train a deaf cat to come when you call?

Well, no, but also yes. You can't train them to come when you call for them, since they can't hear it. But you can train them to come in response to other cues.

For example, you might be able to tap or lightly stomp the ground to signal them with a vibration, or you could use a flashlight or other light source as a visual cue. It's a lot harder to pull off and won't necessarily work all the time, but it's possible.

Do you need a clicker to train your cat?

Not at all. Clickers are helpful if you're trying to train multiple behaviors using the same reward system, but they definitely aren't necessary. After all, clickers are a relatively modern invention, and people have been training cats for a very long time.

If all you want to do is train your cat to come when you call their name, you don't need a clicker at all. Still, it might be helpful to use it as part of the process in case you want to train other behaviors later.

So, there you have it: a simple process to train your cat to come when you call, plus plenty of information about how to train a cat to do nearly anything. Any questions? Let me know!