How To Teach Your Cat to Respond to His Name
This is actually a very important behavior to teach. When you need to locate your cat before you leave
the house or you need to get your cat away from something dangerous, being able to depend on her
to come when called can be a lifesaver.
I have three rules about teaching a cat her name. They are:
Pick an easy name for your kitten to recognize. Long names such as “Cinderella’s Prince
Charming, Frederick the Fabulous” isn’t a good idea. I didn’t make that name up. I know a cat with
that name and he wouldn’t answer when called. It wasn’t until his owner started referring to him as
“Fred” that he began to respond to her when she called.
Don’t use ten different nicknames for your kitten and expect her to respond to them. Stick
to one name so she learns to make the association.
Never call your kitty’s name in anger. If you call her by her name and then proceed to
punish her when she comes, she’ll never want to come to you again.
Begin teaching your cat to associate positive things with her name. While you’re petting her, repeat
her name over and over in a soothing, quiet, friendly voice. As you’re preparing dinner, call her
name. Hand-feed her a little before you fill her bowl. Say her name repeatedly as you give her a
kibble. After a few repetitions of this exercise, put her food in the bowl and let her eat. Don’t overdo the
sessions. Keep them short and positive.
In between meals, take a few pieces of broken up treats and practice calling her name multiple
times a day. When she comes, give her a treat. If you are clicker training, you can add the verbal cue
of “come” after saying her name. Click as soon as she comes to you and then immediately offer the
treat.
Work up to calling her from another room. Once she has learned her name you can offer treats
intermittently, but always offer praise when she has responded. Even when you are no longer giving
food rewards for coming when called, she should always know that something good awaits her.
Once kitty has learned to respond to her name, don’t forget Rule #3. Never call her in anger. It can
be easy to abuse that rule if you come across something she has damaged or a urine spot on the
carpet. Resist the urge to call her to you for punishment. The price you’ll pay for potentially damaging
the trust bond between the two of you won’t be worth it. Punishment is counterproductive and
inhumane anyway.
