How to teach your cat to follow a target stick
Your cat touches a stick tip with its nose and follows it, to guide your cat from a distance.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Session
- 3 min
- To learn
- 3-8 sessions
You'll need
- target stick or chopstick with a ball tip
- small soft treats
- marker
Why it matters
A stick reaches further than your hand: guide your cat onto furniture, across a room, onto a scale or into a carrier while you stay still; good for cats wary of people leaning over.
Before you start
Show the stick still and at rest; don't wave it like a toy. If your cat is unsure, lay it on the floor and mark any sniff.
Step by step
Present the tip
Hold the stick so the ball tip is 5 to 8 cm from your cat's nose, slightly to one side. Mark and treat any glance or lean toward it, then any sniff or touch.
Move on when: Nose touches tip within 3 seconds, 8 out of 10 times
Tip: Dab a little wet food on the tip at first if your cat isn't curious.
Hide it between tries
After each treat, move the stick behind your back, then present it again. Your cat learns the appearing tip is a chance to earn.
Move on when: Touches each time it appears, 9 out of 10
Tip: Take a break after 4 or 5 rewards so it stays fun.
Change positions
Present the tip higher, lower, left and right, then a little further away so your cat has to stand or step.
Move on when: Touches in 5 positions, including one step away
Tip: Keep the tip still until the touch; a moving tip invites swatting.
Add the cue
Say 'touch' (or 'target') just before you present the stick. Mark the touch.
Move on when: Touches on cue, 9 out of 10 times
Tip: Use a different word from your hand target to tell them apart.
Follow the stick
As your cat reaches, slide the tip slowly away so it follows for a step, then two, then across the room. Mark and treat at the end.
Move on when: Follows for 2 metres, 4 out of 5 times
Tip: Short follows with frequent rewards beat one long walk.
Up and onto
Guide your cat up onto a low stool or chair by holding the tip above it. Mark when all four paws are on.
Move on when: Hops up following the stick, 4 out of 5 times
Tip: Only use stable surfaces; a wobble can put a cat off for weeks.
The cue
- Say
- “Touch (or Target)”
- Hand signal
- Stick tip presented at nose height
If it isn't working
- Chews or grabs the stick
- Mark earlier, at the first contact. Use a hard ball tip rather than something soft, and hold it a little further away.
- Scared of the stick
- Lay it on the floor and treat near it. Use a shorter stick, or start with your hand target and slide the stick in later.
- Stops following after one step
- Move slower and reward after one step for a while, then gradually add steps.
Safety
Safety- Never tap or poke your cat with the stick.
- Store the stick out of reach so it isn't chewed when you're not training.
Mastered when
Follows the stick 2 metres and up onto a stool on cue, 4 out of 5 times
Video check: Film your cat following the stick from the floor up onto a chair.
Variations
- Use a telescopic stick to work at longer distances.
- Use the stick to guide your cat through a doorway or around your legs.
Teach this first
Learn next
Sources
- 3 tricks to teach your cat with a clicker (Vetstreet, Dr. Marty Becker)
- A step-by-step guide to cat clicker training (Pasadena Humane)
Written from these sources and checked against vet and trainer guidance. General guidance, not veterinary advice.
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