How to teach your cat to play dead
Your cat flops onto its side and stays until you release it, using roll over and stay.
- Difficulty
- Takes time
- Session
- 3 min
- To learn
- 15-30 sessions
You'll need
- clicker or a word like “yes”
- small soft treats
- soft rug
Why it matters
Play dead combines a position, a cue and a stay. It teaches your cat to relax on its side, which can help at vet checks.
Before you start
Play with a wand toy first. Train in a quiet room before a meal, when a little hungry. Warm up with 2 or 3 known tricks after play.
Step by step
Half a roll
Ask for a roll over, but click when your cat reaches its side. Treat at the nose so it stays there.
Move on when: Stops on its side 8 out of 10 tries
Tip: Treat low, at the floor, so the head stays down.
Head down
Wait for your cat to lay its head on the floor, then click.
Move on when: Head on the floor 6 out of 10 tries
Tip: A tiny wait often gets the head down; do not repeat the cue.
Add stillness
Wait 1 second, then 2, then 3 with your cat flat before clicking. Then say your release word.
Move on when: Stays on its side 3 seconds 6 out of 10 tries
Tip: Add one second at a time. Random easy ones keep it fun.
Change the cue
Say "Bang" (or "Rest") and make a small hand signal, then help with the old roll signal. Over sessions, drop the roll signal.
Move on when: Flops on the new cue 4 out of 5 times
Tip: New cue first, old helper after, never both at once.
From a sit or stand
Ask from a sit: cue, then help into a down and onto the side. Click the flop.
Move on when: Flops from a sit 4 out of 5 times
Tip: This is a two-part move. Build each part, then link.
Release
Finish every rep with your release word and a toss of a treat so your cat gets up happily.
Move on when: Waits for the release word 4 out of 5 times
Tip: The release is part of the trick; it stops your cat lying there wondering.
The cue
- Say
- “Bang”
- Hand signal
- Finger point like a pretend gun, or a flat hand turned palm down
If it isn't working
- Cat rolls all the way over
- Mark earlier, on the side, and treat at the floor by the nose.
- Cat pops straight up
- Shorten the hold. Mark 1 second, release, then build slowly.
- Cat will only flop on one side
- That is fine. Most cats have a favourite side. Train that side only.
Safety
Safety- Never press your cat down or hold it on its side.
- Skip for cats with back or hip pain or recent surgery.
- Stop if the tail flicks, ears flatten or your cat leaves; end on a win.
Mastered when
Flops on cue from a sit and stays 5 seconds until released, in 2 rooms, 4 out of 5 times
Video check: Film one cued play dead from a sit, held 5 seconds, then the release
Variations
- Play dead and then wave a paw
- Play dead on a mat
- Bang from 1 m away
Teach this first
Learn next
Sources
- How to teach your cat to roll over (Cats Protection)
- Click and laugh: fun cat tricks (Karen Pryor, clickertraining.com)
- Trick Dog titles: levels, video submission and lure rules (Do More With Your Dog)
Written from these sources and checked against vet and trainer guidance. General guidance, not veterinary advice.
Lesson · 3 min
How to teach your cat to jump through a hoop
Your cat goes through a hoop on the floor, then raised a little until it hops through.
Lesson · 3 min
How to teach your cat to jump over a bar
Your cat jumps over a low bar between two supports, first walking over it, then hopping.
Lesson · 3 min
How to teach your cat to ride on your shoulder
Your cat jumps from a chair or counter onto your shoulders when you pat, then rides there.
