Cat Trained to Roll Over

I am so proud of my Rascal!!! He's this huge mass of cat, younger than my other 2 but bigger than both of them put together. I have trained him to roll over! It's so cute! It's not even for treats either. He is just so affectionate that I taught him just by rewarding him with being pet. When you're ignoring him he'll come up next to you and roll over to get you to pet him. lol It's adorable. He'll do it on command but sometimes he just rolls onto his side and triess to cheat by just kind up ducking his head. I tell him "No, all the way" a couple times and he'll finally go all the way. It's funny to see this tub of lard rolling over like that.

I've just bought a harness for my other cat Shadow. I've only tried it twice. First time he refused to budge. Last time he would walk about 4 steps with me then try to either lay down or walk in a different direction. He's already 2 yrs old so I know it'll be a little tougher to train him to walk on it. Should I just keep practicing with him like I am? I keep it to about 10 minutes then take it off. I praise and pet him whenever he walks with me. Is there anything else I can do to get him trained?


Rascal

I knew a massive, massive kitty-- and not all fat, just huge tom-- that would roll over. It is definitely a sight.

As for a harness, I used to try to walk my two indoor cats (give them some fresh air), but they hated it and I eventually gave up. Keep trying what you are. If he's not improving and seems to be loathing the harness more and more, retire it? Some cats just don't dig that kind of thing. If you're looking to give your cat fresh air, I find mine love car rides. If you're looking for exercise-- play.

Aww... You have a very special cat! Many cats just don't want to be taught tricks; and in any case, they have to be taught different from dogs... Your cat sounds like he's such an easygoing gentleman!

Any chance of a vid?

Oh, and--harness training... I never had any luck with this either... it can be done though. Like I said, some cats just have personalities that don't want to do things they don't see sense in doing, just to please humans (or get treats, or whatever). You can try leaving windows open for fresh air; just be sure your cat can't get through the screens.

the way I always aired the house when I took care of Skimble (a friend's cat) for a summer was to open the windows, drop the blinds, and then duct tape the bottoms of the blinds to the walls beneath (cinder block walls, naturally; normal walls would be ruined). The effect was the blinds covered the window, but the air was still coming in. Likely you don't have the proper walls to make this work, but there are probably other ways to secure blinds in front of windows (pushing up a piece of furniture to jam the bottom of the blind between it and the wall, for example) or even window guards to keep cats from jumping out (like baby gates, only for windows... I saw 'em once but have no idea where they came from).

Originally Posted by Tina Marie

I am so proud of my Rascal!!! He's this huge mass of cat, younger than my other 2 but bigger than both of them put together. I have trained him to roll over! It's so cute! It's not even for treats either. He is just so affectionate that I taught him just by rewarding him with being pet. When you're ignoring him he'll come up next to you and roll over to get you to pet him. lol It's adorable. He'll do it on command but sometimes he just rolls onto his side and triess to cheat by just kind up ducking his head. I tell him "No, all the way" a couple times and he'll finally go all the way. It's funny to see this tub of lard rolling over like that.

I've just bought a harness for my other cat Shadow. I've only tried it twice. First time he refused to budge. Last time he would walk about 4 steps with me then try to either lay down or walk in a different direction. He's already 2 yrs old so I know it'll be a little tougher to train him to walk on it. Should I just keep practicing with him like I am? I keep it to about 10 minutes then take it off. I praise and pet him whenever he walks with me. Is there anything else I can do to get him trained?


Rascal

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That is neat he rolls over. Very clever.

What an adorable kitty Rascal is! My first "JC" learned to roll over on command by watching my daughters training their Border Collie how to do it!

If you have him securely in the harness and the leash is attached, take him outside to walk. Just give him some time and he will do it (at least 10 of mine have over 30 yrs) but out is more interesting and tempting than in, so try it there. And the rollover's great! A friend of mine had a cat who'd do a somersault between the fridge and counter (6") on command!

Most cats don't walk like dog, at least not at first. To train them, let them walk where they want and just follow. Puppy is slowly getting used to me being next to him on the leash, and I can now get him to change direction by tugging. I think eventually he may walk like a dog does. We'll see.

Also, try always practicing in the same area. Puppy walks much better if he's in familiar territory. As soon as he leaves that, he gets into exploring mode.

Our friend's cat Max used to roll over. it was the cutest thing to watch. He was 19 when he passed away, and they replaced him with 10 more....none of them roll over tho...

Your little Rascal sounds like a real sweety!