How to teach your cat to follow a target
Your cat follows a target stick at a walk, across the room and round furniture.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Session
- 3 min
- To learn
- 5-10 sessions
You'll need
- clicker or a word like “yes”
- small soft treats
- target stick
Why it matters
Following a target is how you lead your cat through agility and onto a carrier, scale or bed without picking it up.
Before you start
Play with a wand toy first. Train in a quiet room before a meal, when your cat is a little hungry. Have 10 to 15 pea-sized soft treats ready.
Step by step
One step
Hold the target stick 10 cm from your cat's nose. Click the touch. Then move it 20 cm away so your cat steps to reach it.
Move on when: Steps to touch 8 out of 10 tries
Tip: Keep the target at nose height.
Moving target
Once your cat touches, slowly move the stick forward. Click after 2 or 3 steps of following.
Move on when: Follows for 3 steps 8 out of 10 tries
Tip: Walk slowly and keep the tip just ahead of the nose.
Longer follows
Build to 1 m, then 2 m, then across the room before clicking.
Move on when: Follows 3 m 4 out of 5 times
Tip: Mark at random points so your cat keeps following.
Turns
Lead your cat round a chair, then in a figure of eight.
Move on when: Follows round a chair both ways
Tip: Slow down on turns.
Add the cue
Say "Follow" when you present the stick.
Move on when: Follows on cue for 3 m in a new room
Tip: Use this as your warm-up before agility or trick sessions.
The cue
- Say
- “Follow”
- Hand signal
- Target stick held at nose height, ahead of the cat
If it isn't working
- Grabs or bites the stick tip
- Click a touch, not a bite. Hold the stick slightly higher so the nose meets it.
- Stops following after a step or two
- Mark earlier and more often, then slowly stretch the distance.
- Follows the treat hand instead
- Keep treats in a pouch behind you and present them only after the marker.
Safety
Safety- Count training treats in the daily food so your cat stays at a healthy weight.
Mastered when
Follows the target 3 m round a chair, in 2 rooms, 4 out of 5 times
Video check: Film one follow across a room and round a chair
Variations
- Follow onto a bathroom scale
- Follow into a carrier
- Follow on a harness and leash
Teach this first
Learn next
Sources
Written from these sources and checked against vet and trainer guidance. General guidance, not veterinary advice.
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