kitten playing fetch


Many cats enjoy playing fetch with their owners just as much as any dog. If you haven’t thought about it, now is a good time to consider teaching your cat to play fetch!

Playing fetch with your cat is not only fun, but it’s also a safe indoor exercise that’s good for them. Most cats in the United States are overweight. Exercising your cat is one way to prevent obesity, ward off chronic illnesses like diabetes and increase their lifespan.

Most cats love chasing toys. The issue you’ll find is that they don’t always feel obligated to bring it back. Remember that throughout your cat’s training, you want to use positive reinforcement only. You shouldn’t punish your cat if they wander off with their toy instead of bringing it back.

Ready to start training? Here are the steps:

  1. Reward your cat for picking up the toy. You can do this by rolling a toy a couple of feet away from you. Once your cat picks up the toy, verbally praise them and reward them with a treat. 
  2. Once your cat reliably picks the toy up, start calling them back to you. If they come over, give them verbal praise and reward them with a treat. 
  3. Gradually increase the distance you throw the toy, rewarding them for bringing the toy back.
  4. When your cat reliably brings the toy back, start holding your hand under the toy and rewarding them if they drop it. Make sure to reward them as soon as the toy hits your hand. 
  5. You can then move toward intermittent treat rewards, but you should always give verbal praise. 

For many cats, it’s this simple. For others, you’ll need to break it down more. Reward smaller steps in the right direction, such as when your cat looks at you after picking up the toy, and slowly increase how much you ask of them before rewarding.

For cats who aren’t chasing toys, you can start with treats, move to toys with treats inside of them and work toward toys without treats. Once you’ve got your cat playing fetch, you can begin incorporating this into your cat’s exercise routine! 

Browse our selection of veterinarian-approved treats to reward your cat.