© kyninaolga / stock.adobe.com
Treats as rewards help motivate the cat during agility training.
Play and exercise are fundamental components of a healthy feline life. If your cat gets bored, a wide range of complaints will soon emerge. Most cats love challenges that train their body and mind. Cat agility is a wonderful opportunity to link fun with developmental support. It appeals to your cat’s natural curiosity and can be carried out both indoors and outdoors.
Cat agility is a form of obstacle course with varying levels of difficulty. This diverse and demanding form of activity explicitly targets domestic cats that don’t get any exercise. You can compare it to a training method for which animals have to master different tasks. Regardless of whether you do this dog sport at home or as part of a real competition judged on time and accuracy, fun is the priority for your pet and boredom doesn’t come into the question whatsoever.
Cats are inquisitive animals. This imaginative training programme strengthens the body, keeps your pet flexible and encourages it to learn. Along with exercise, our cats also need brain teasers to stay fit. Consequently, intelligent cats in particular have real fun with cat agility. This training programme activates mind and body and helps to intensify the relationship between owner and pet. Living together will therefore be a more trusting and harmonious experience.
There are few limits to your imagination when developing a training course. The design and length mainly depend on the space you have available. You can integrate lots of different toys, ladders, tunnels and obstacles – slaloms too will be well received. Specialist pet stores offer numerous toys, training devices and obstacles for cat agility. You can even put together obstacles yourself. Perhaps you may also want to show what your cat has already learnt. If so, simply take part in a competition, which will mainly be offered in connection to cat exhibitions. In order to not confuse your cat, you should start off cautiously and always train one obstacle behind the rest.
All forms of cat toys are suitable for training. Nylon cat tunnels and cubes are perfect for hunting, hiding and all forms of play. You can extend them with velcro fasteners as you wish. Loopholes on the side offer further variety. Balls, toy mice, rattles – basically everything that moves and jingles is likewise suitable. Toys can be made of plush or hard plastic, whilst integrated feathers or plastic mesh are also popular elements. Of course, there should always a tasty snack on offer after completion of a task. Other good intelligence games are hurdles and balancing poles, which allow your cat to train its balance. Hoops and feather sticks encourage coordination and are quickly constructed. Clickers are also effective training aids for cats or dogs. Treats can be given at the same time the click tone is sounded. Once your cat is conditioned to this, the clicker becomes synonymous with direct praise. The target stick is used after clicking. With such a target stick linked to the clicker, the animal learns to follow the stick with its nose. If it touches the tip of the sphere, there is a click followed by a treat straight away.
After your cat has mastered the obstacle course with distinction, it has definitely earned a reward and tasty treats are just the ticket. For instance, choose Cosma Snackies made from 100% pure meat. The resealable tube is perfect for when you’re on the move. These snacks are produced with a complex and protective freeze drying method and can be easily portioned. They are totally free of additives and are also recommended by vets and breeders. Premium Cosma Snackies made of pure fish or meat are equally delicious and are completely adapted to cats’ preferences. They contain neither preservatives nor attractants or colourings and come in a practical tube, which ensures lasting freshness and the Snackies maintaining their flavour. Along with chicken, there are tasty duck, beef and tuna flavours too.
Cats are putting their hunting instincts into practice when they play. Playing is important and the more diverse the toys, all the better. Five ideas on how you can make your own cat toys – with inexpensive items that can be found in every household.
Cats are real-life cuddly toys for many people: they are soft and love close proximity to humans and being indulged. What many cat owners forget though is that their cuddly toys are little wild animals at heart! They are rarely satisfied with and stimulated by life on the couch.
Play and exercise are fundamental components of a healthy feline life. If your cat gets bored, a wide range of complaints will soon emerge. Most cats love challenges that train their body and mind. Cat agility is a wonderful opportunity to link fun with developmental support. It appeals to your cat's natural curiosity and can be carried out both indoors and outdoors.
