Cats don’t seem like they care to listen or learn to do tricks.
At least, that’s what most cat parents believe.
While there is a bit of truth to it, it is not entirely impossible to find a Bengal cat that fetches like a dog.
Bengal cats are smarter and more active than many cat breeds. Their intelligence and energy make them excellent learners. One might think they are obedient, but they learn for their own sake. Learning new tricks is an exciting way for them to use their energy. And if you want to save your couch from their claws, invest in their training.
Since they are smart, Bengal cats can learn more than just a few basic tricks. So, why limit your feline to one or two? Why not go for ten, or even better, twenty tricks?
That is what we bring today:
20 awesome tricks for your Bengal cat.
But before we get to the training part, let’s have a look at the prerequisites:
Training Supplies for Bengal Cats
Training a cat is much like training a toddler. The first thing you need is a lot of patience. Even though Bengal cats are smart and agile, it will take time and patience to train them. To train your Bengal, these cat supplies can make your job easier:
A bag of treats
Like most animals, cats would do anything for delicious rewards. They will respond well to your command when they know it is the easiest way to earn a treat. If you have already spoiled your cat by treating it at demand, things won’t be too easy. Keep it off treats for a few good days before the training starts.
Clicker
For pet parents and trainers, clickers are a gift from heaven. While clickers aren’t necessary (you can clap or tap as an alternative), they can make things easier. However, make sure the sound of the clicker isn’t too loud for your kitty. It should be loud enough to get your cat’s attention but not too loud to make it nervous.
Target stick
Target sticks come with or without a clicker. Like all other supplies, they are not necessary but extremely helpful. You use target sticks for tricks, such as touching objects with paws, nose, or other body parts. It can also help teach your cat to move to a specific spot. You can use any stick or even a pencil for these tricks, but a retractable stick with a clicker makes training easier.
Cat tree
Climbing comes naturally to cats, yet many cats don’t like to climb back down. If you don’t want to bother the local fire department with such incidents, it is a good idea to bring home a cat tree. It will make it easier to teach your cat to climb up and down on command.
We recommend these basic training supplies for Bengal cats, but not all of them are necessary. If you have the time and patience, you can train your cat with just their favorite toy or treat.
20 Awesome Tricks for Your Bengal Cat
Let’s have a look at our top 20 for Bengal Cat:
1. Respond to name
To anyone who doesn’t have a cat, this may sound odd because ‘response’ is something that comes naturally. Well, not with cats. Cats generally respond when they like to. They are more likely to respond to a bag of kibble than you calling their name.
However, you can teach your Bengal cat to respond to its name, given you have some food or treat to offer. Here’s what to do:
- Hold some treats in your hands.
- Open your palm as you call your cat’s name.
- Make it a ritual, and your cat will learn to associate your call with the reward.
2. Meow on command
Like anything a cat does, it meows whenever it wants to. If you’re going to train it to meow on command, be ready to invest a lot of time in it.
- Wait for your Bengal cat to meow on its own, and reward it every time it meows.
- Once your cat starts associating meows with reward, meow at her, and it will meow back.
- Keep treating her for meowing back for a while until she learns the trick.
3. Sit
Training a cat to sit on command is one of the most challenging behaviors to teach. However, everything else gets easier with the right approach. Do this:
- Take some treats and hold them close to your cat’s face.
- Move the hand side by side and watch the cat follow your hand movement.
- The cat will eventually sit down, and that is when you need to treat it.
- You can use a clicker before you treat.
- After a few days, add the cue word ‘sit’ as you treat your cat for sitting.
A target stick can also help in this training.
4. Sit up on two legs
Bengal cats look adorable when sitting on two legs. To learn this trick, you have to follow almost the same steps as the previous trick with a few changes.
- Hold a treat close to your cat’s face, but a little higher this time.
- Your cat is most likely to try to touch it with its paws. Hide the treat if that happens.
- Take the treat out and repeat the above steps until the cat tries to touch it with the mouth.
- As it raises the head, move the treat a bit higher.
- After a few repetitions, your cat will sit on two legs to reach the treat.
- Give it the treat and click.
- Add the cue word like ‘sit up’ after a few days of this training.
5. Walk on command
It works just like training your cat to sit up on two legs.
- Follow all the steps till your cat starts moving its head instead of its paws to get the treat.
- Now, start walking backward, and the cat will follow.
- Click and give your kitty a treat.
- After a few days, start saying the cue word ‘walk’ as you treat your cat.
If you want your cat to walk on a leash, start with a harness. Make your Bengal wear the harness for a few minutes every day until it gets comfortable.
Now add a leash to the harness, and make your cat move around. Eventually, you can remove the harness and attach the leash to the collar.
6. Lie down
As a parent of a high-energy pet, you might sometimes wish for it to calm down and rest. That’s where this trick comes in handy. Here’s how to go about it.
- Hold a treat close enough for your cat to smell and notice it.
- Close your fist as soon as your cat tries to grab it or move toward it.
- Now put the treat down on the floor, and the cat will lower itself.
- After a few tries, the cat will lie down, and that’s when you click and treat.
- Eventually, add the cue word to make training easier.
7. Touch an object
Bengal cats are curious, and they will try to touch everything around the house – but usually not what you want them to. With a little effort, you can train them to touch any item on command. Start with objects that aren’t easy to topple.
- Place the object close to your cat.
- Hold a treat close to that object, almost touching its surface.
- Once the cat tries to touch it, move the treat, and let the cat touch the object.
- Now, click and treat your kitty.
8. High-five
After teaching your cat to touch an object on command, training it to high-five isn’t that tough. Think of your hand as the object you want your cat to touch and follow the same steps as above.
Another way to teach this trick is to hold the treat close to its paws. As it tries to grab it, move the treat close to your high-five hand. Treat the cat when it finally learns to touch the hand.
9. Shake hands
The next trick is to encourage your Bengal cat to a handshake. Again, most of the steps remain the same, except for your hand’s position and how you respond to the cat’s touch.
- Hold the treat close to its paws.
- As it tries to take the treat, move it close to your other hand extended out for a handshake.
- Treat the cat when it finally learns to touch your hand.
- After a few successful attempts, hold its hand and give it a little shake.
10. Give kisses
Now that your Bengal cat is nice enough to shake hands, why not train it to give sweet little kisses? It may sound like a tough trick to teach, but there is a hack that makes it easy:
- Smudge your cat’s favorite food on your cheek.
- Lie down, and hold your cat on your chest.
- Wait for the cat to lick the food from your cheek.
- Click as it licks, and offer it a small treat.
11. Fetch
Very few people have seen a cat fetch. It is rare but not impossible. If you want your Bengal Cat to be one of those rare cats, here is what you need to do:
- First, find an object that you know your Bengal finds very interesting.
- Hold the object close to your cat’s face until it is about to touch it.
- Throw that object and wait for the cat to catch it.
- As the cat grabs the object, hold out a treat for it.
- Now your cat will come running back to you.
- Don’t give it the treat until she comes back with that object.
- Say ‘fetch’ as it comes running back to you.
12. Jump
Like climbing, jumping is a natural skill all cats have. But if you want your Bengal cat to jump on command, we highly recommend a target stick with a feather toy or something interesting attached at its end.
- Let the cat play with the feather toy or whatever is attached to the stick.
- Once it is too busy playing, move the stick up and watch your cat jump.
- Click and treat.
- Add the cue word ‘jump’ after a few attempts.
Laser pointers on the wall are also quite useful when training your Bengal cat to jump.
13. Spin in a circle
Cats spin in circles sometimes, and it is fun to watch. However, they won’t do it on command – unless you teach them this trick. Again, a target stick will come in handy for this training, but you can take any stick and hang a feather toy at one end.
- Place the hanging feather close to your cat’s face and wait until it’s interested in touching it.
- As it tries to touch, start spinning the stick in circles.
- Your cat will follow its movement and start spinning in circles.
- Click and treat. Add cue words later on.
14. Rollover
Now that you have taught your cat so many basic tricks, you know it is usually all about how your movement affects your cat’s actions. The rollover trick is also all about how you move your hand.
- Start with a treat held close to your Bengal cat’s face.
- Once you have its attention, move your hand counterclockwise.
- After a few attempts, you will see your cat moving and shifting its weight in your hand’s direction.
- Make sure your hand stops close to the floor so that the cat drops down.
- Once it drops and rolls over to grab the treat, click and treat.
15. Jump through hoops
We have seen lions and tigers jumping through hoops; it’ll be fun to see a smaller cat do the trick. It is not easy – but if your cat has learned to jump and chase a target, you can make it jump the hoop.
- First, bring the loop close to your cat’s feet and see if it jumps.
- If it doesn’t jump, place a treat on the other side of the loop and wait again.
- After a few jumps, raise a loop a little higher.
- Click whenever your cat jumps the hoop.
- Add verbal cues after several days of successful training.
16. In the box
Bengal cats are active and curious. They will try to get into any box or bag. To make them do it on command is just like teaching them any other trick. You can use the same command to send them to their carrier.
- Bring your cat’s attention to the treat in your hand.
- Put the treat in the box or bag you want your cat to explore.
- Click as it enters the box or bag.
- After a few times, add a verbal cue as it jumps in.
You can use the same trick to order them out of the box.
17. Play the Piano
Bengal cats may be smart, but they are no Beethoven. They can’t learn to create music, but they look adorable when they pretend to play the piano. The good thing is, your cat is most likely to be interested in the piano, and you won’t have to work on that. To make your cat play, follow these steps:
- Place your cat on a chair high enough for it to reach the piano.
- Play the piano in front of the cat, and it might start mimicking your actions to create the sound.
- Every time it hits a key, offer a treat.
- You can also put the treat on the keys to entice the cat.
18. Play the shell game
Some cats are surprisingly good at this game. It can be their strong sense of smell or powerful memory. With a little training, your Bengal cat can be the best shell player in the town:
- Sit your cat down and place three plastic cups in front of it.
- Put your cat’s favorite treat under one of the cups as the cat watches.
- Now, shuffle the cups while your cat looks at them.
- Stop, step back, and let your cat choose which one the treat.
- Click and treat every time it picks the right cup.
19. Use toilet
Many pet parents teach their cats to use the toilet to get rid of the litter box. While we won’t recommend making your Bengal cat forego its litter box and use the toilet like humans, there are cat litter training kits that can turn your toilet seat into its litter box. The kit comes with the instruction:
- Follow the instruction to install the kit.
- Put some flushable litter inside the makeshift kitty toilet and train your Bengal cat to use it instead of the litter box.
- Eventually, your cat will get comfortable using the toilet seat and will be able to use it without the kit.
20. Skateboarding
We saved the best one for the last because we can’t stop watching our Bengal cat skateboard across the yard. But beware! It needs constant supervision and a lot of time. Some cats might take months just to overcome the fear of standing on a moving board. Here is how you can start the training:
- Bring your cat’s attention to the board by placing a treat on it.
- Treat the cat every time it gets on the board.
- After becoming familiar with the board to where it doesn’t hesitate to get on it, start moving the board ever so slowly.
- If your cat tries to get off the board every time you move, divert its attention by holding a treat in one hand.
- Once you are sure that your cat is no longer scared of the board of its movement, you can increase the speed a bit.
Conclusion
If you have a Bengal cat and haven’t tried training them to do these awesome tricks, that’s a waste of talent. Not only are these cats smart and active, but they also love learning new tricks. Invest time in their training, and you will have a happy, healthy kitty who is also a wholesome entertainer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I train my Bengal Cat to do tricks?
As long as you ensure your Bengal cat’s safety, teaching them interesting tricks is an excellent way to channel their energy and intelligence into productive activities.
When should I start training my Bengal Cat?
Bengal cats are highly active and energetic when they are young. It is best to start as early as possible, especially for basic tricks like jumping, responding, or using the litter.
When is the right time to train a Bengal Cat?
Since we use treats as a reward in training, it is better if the cat isn’t full at the time. A little bit of hunger will add to its motivation. It is why it is a good idea to train them before a meal.
Why isn’t my Bengal Cat learning new tricks?
The biggest mistake people make when training their cat is that they don’t give it enough time. Cats are rebels by nature, and obedience isn’t their natural trait. Use rewards and reinforcements, and let your cat learn at its own pace.
