Fetch!

Holland's new favorite game lately has been to chase after her favorite ball or mousie when I throw it for her. Unfortunately she never brings them back... But this morning she did!!! She had her mousie in her mouth, brought it about halfway back to me, played with it for a minute, then brought it all the way back!!

Unfortunately I didn't have any treats on hand, but I praised her like she just fixed all the world's problems. Of course, she only did it once, but that's progress, right?

If she did it once she will do it again!

I always get a kick out of it when my guys do that!

Bella did the fetching-thing for about 20 minutes one day. I was so tickled about that. I have since tried to initiate it again with her and she looks at me like I'm a nut.

Way to go, Holland !

I don't know whether Holland will continue to fetch and return her ball or mousie, but this did remind me of something that I just went through with my dog. In fact, your comment about praising her as though she just solved all the world's ills made me laugh out loud . But, that's only because I did just about the same exact thing last night when I was trying to get my toy fox terrier, Maddie, to give me her paw.

Madeline is incapable of giving paw. She can sit, stay, come, lay down...she understands up, down, over...but, paw? The dog can't give paw to save her life. But, nonetheless, I continue to try. Well, last night, she was sitting and I asked her to give me paw. Of course, she didn't. But, then I picked her paw up, praised her, and gave her a treat. We went through that process about 5 times more and then, miracle of all miracles, on the sixth try, when I asked for her paw, she lifted it! Maddie doesn't like her paws to be held because she has had some issues there, but she actually lifted her paw. I know it was probably just a coincidence, but gosh darn it, I was going to praise her like no tomorrow. And, I did just that .

I hope Holland continues to do her new trick. This just gave me a little chuckle...thanks for sharing... .

I made an attempt at "training", I guess, after her first success. I got a handful of treats and put a treat right next to her mousie, let Holland have the treat, then I'd throw the mousie. She would run after it, then run straight back to me (WITHOUT the mouse) because she could smell the treats in my hand... I did this about 5 times before I finally let it go for the day. I have hope, though!! I've also started throwing her toy from only ONE end of my condo, in the hopes that she will learn that she will be able to chase it only ONE way. Maybe that will help urge her to bring it back...

Ah well, even if she never picks it up, it's not like I can't benefit from the small bit of exercise I get by walking from one end of my condo to the other several times each day...

PS - Alison, my brother and SIL have a beagle named Mattie. Totally off topic, but she is a chunky little monkey. I was talking cats with my SIL yesterday and my brother poked into the conversation to say that he used to think Gracie (their cat) was fat, until she would lay next to Mattie. My brother and SIL are SO funny because my SIL gets SO angry if anyone says anything negative about her babies (especially when you say that Mattie is "fat") and my brother will never admit how much he loves both the dog and the cat, but my SIL told me that she has caught him asleep on the couch with one arm around the cat and the other around the dog.

My brother actually set up a "hidden camera" once when they couldn't figure out why Gracie's dry food bowl (in the laundry room) was inexplicably EMPTY - and a bag of cat treats gone - when they got home from work. No offense to anyone here, but my brother's video is on his facebook page, which I don't want to put out here... but I can share his written commentary of the event:

Foiled by the beagle again!

It took Mattie probably 6 months to get through the kitty door, stymying our latest attempt to foil her laundry room escapades. I swear I cut that thing to be just big enough for the cat!

I'm sure a lot of it was the weight loss, but some of it was pure determination. The day before this video was shot was her first time through, and she's done it every day since (3 times now). What a revelation this must have been for the little b!t(h!

On her first trip in, you can distinctly hear her dragging the kitty litter box over to the washer and dryer. You can then hear her get on the box, jump up onto the washer, and snag the cat food. She brings Gracie's breakfast out through the hole for some take-out dining. Over 5 minutes of video were removed from her second trip in because she took that long to down the contents of Gracie's dry cat food dispenser. You'll notice that she seems to struggle a bit more on her last time squeezing back out, I'm sure due to the amount of dry cat food she'd eaten on this second foray into what was once the cat's only sanctuary. On this trip, she placed a to-go order for one bag of Gracie's cat treats. I imagine that the third time she waddled over, she must have thought the hole had shrunk. She seemed to contemplate trying it, then deciding that she wouldn't fit. I'll bet she went and took a gigantic crap so that she could squeeze through one more time. Need to set up a second camera...

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In case you want a picture of the little muffins:

She did it! She did it! She did it!!! She just brought her mousie back to me THREE times in a row after I threw it for her.

Then she got off track because I went to get her some treats...

I'm so proud of my girl I just had to give a quick update. Well, "fetching" is old news by now. She brings her mousie to me COUNTLESS time a day for me to throw again.

Oh, yay Holland! What a smart girl! I get such a kick out of the mental picture of that little black beauty "playing ball" with mama!

How do you initiate it? Do you just wait until they randomly bring something to you, and then build from that? I'd love to see Sophie learn to fetch, but she is SUCH a little hoarder...anything I throw for her, she generally takes directly under the bed or behind some large piece of furniture so I can't retrieve it!

I just informed Sophie (in my best "mama's widdle kitty" voice) that we are going to have training/play time, and I swear she rolled her eyes at me.

Originally Posted by at129

Oh, yay Holland!

What a smart girl! I get such a kick out of the mental picture of that little black beauty "playing ball" with mama!

How do you initiate it? Do you just wait until they randomly bring something to you, and then build from that? I'd love to see Sophie learn to fetch, but she is SUCH a little hoarder...anything I throw for her, she generally takes directly under the bed or behind some large piece of furniture so I can't retrieve it!

I just informed Sophie (in my best "mama's widdle kitty" voice) that we are going to have training/play time, and I swear she rolled her eyes at me.

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OK, now I just feel like I'm bragging...

I posted a couple of videos of Holland playing fetch in this thread:

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=213490

Holland was never much for playtime until I got her teeth fixed (long story short, she has (had?) stomatitis and had to get ALL her teeth pulled about 6 weeks ago). I tried SO many toys, and she still isn't even all that into wand toys. Once I found out she loves to chase after things, I was thrilled!!

I know she's ready for playtime in one of two ways: she will either flop at my feet and roll over (with an evil "If you try to rub my tummy you will lose a hand" kind of look) or she will start darting around like a Tasmanian devil. That's when I find one of her mousies (I can't locate her favorite ball at the moment, not sure what happened to it!!) and ask her "Do you wanna go get it?". And she's ready for action.

Now, I should make it clear that she doesn't always drop her toy for me to throw again. She usually likes to bat it around a few times after she brings it back (as I tell her how smart she is). Sometimes (well, OK, MANY times) it goes under the couch. Then I fish it out and throw it for her again. She has been bringing it back probably 90% of the time lately. If she doesn't, I figure she's done playing with me and sure enough, she's usually napping not too soon after.

I never thought that cats would play fetch, and I am SO proud of my little girl. It also makes me feel better that she plays fetch (SEVERAL times a day!!) since she's not much into other interactive play. At least I know she's getting her exercise running from one end of the condo to the other countless times a day...

Ha ha! This really made me smile! One of my cats Newt loves to play fetch, she always has done since she was a kitten. My other cat Ripley used to play fetch all the time when she was little but now she expects me to do the fetching!

Originally Posted by Mystik Spiral

I'm so proud of my girl I just had to give a quick update. Well, "fetching" is old news by now. She brings her mousie to me COUNTLESS time a day for me to throw again.

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You'll regret encouraging that one day.

I never use treats because I find it distracts some cats too much. When I want a cat to do some sort of trick I use the "good _____" and lots of pettings or back scratches. Cats do respond well to positive reinforcement, just like a dog will.

Unfortunately, Siri was playing fetch with me the other night and Tanna was watching. She decided she wanted to play fetch, too. Now I have two of them to harass me with 2-3 hour long games of fetch. My shoulder was actually sore the next morning.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

You'll regret encouraging that one day.

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As someone who has thrown a fuzzy mousie about a hundred times today, I believe you!

I too found that treats didn't work. Holland would just get distracted if I had them. But oh, telling her how good, how cute, and how smart she is? Yeah, she responds to that.

As this is her main form of exercise, I definitely can't complain!! Though if she had her way, I would be throwing her mousies at any time that she's not napping. Or eating.

Originally Posted by Mystik Spiral

She did it! She did it! She did it!!! She just brought her mousie back to me THREE times in a row after I threw it for her.

Then she got off track because I went to get her some treats...

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Mine are trained better without getting distracted by treats as well

They are like 'OMG a treat' ~drop toy, run towards source of treat, skidding to a halt because they know they have to sit for a treat~

Oh my goodness, that precious somersault at the end of the hall to pounce on her "prey" gave me such a smile! Go Holland!

Definitely going to try to work with Soph on this. I have a yellow Lab, so I'm already used to the "let's keep playing this for 5 hours a day" routine, LOL - and I have to say, a small cat toy would be a lot easier on my arms than the giant fetch toys I threw for the dog!

She's not usually into the "interactive play" thing much...she comes to me for cuddles or ear scratches, but when she's playful, she usually either goes off into her own world, or seeks out my mother's Malamute/Collie mix, Nika (always entertaining to watch them play - the 105-lb furry monstrosity careening around the house with a 6-lb cat pouncing at her feet!)...I'm a little jealous to be left out of kitty playtime!