Can You Teach a Cat to Fetch: What Scientists Say
Scientists have long said that cats are not much inferior to dogs and can also be trained, but it takes a little work.
It is useless to expect that the cat will run after the stick with the same enthusiasm. But with patience and free time, it is possible.
Cat and "fetch": what scientists say
This issue was studied by employees of the Department of Animal Welfare at the University of Pennsylvania, and the results were published in the journal Scientific Reports.
During the research it was possible to find out that in this case the cats themselves decide with whom and when to play, as well as what object to bring.
In total, about a thousand cat owners were surveyed. 94% of owners said that the cats started the game spontaneously and listened to the command without prior training.
According to experts, the cats played unconsciously after receiving praise and pleasure from interaction with humans.
It was also found that cats prefer to play with the same objects, either in the same places, or with the same person.
At the same time, they brought the owner both toys and any object that was used for the game, from crumpled paper to a bottle cap.
But the animal performed no more than ten commands, and with age it lost interest in the “fetch” command.
Earlier we talked about why a cat plays with a mouse before eating it.
