Wife Wanted A Cat. Husband Wanted A Dog. They Settled On A Cat Who Plays Fetch.

Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/cat-plays-fetch-2/

A trending video is using the family cat to remind us of a couple of life’s truisms. First, compromise is key to any good marriage. Second, some cats, including the frisky feline below, can play fetch better than some dogs!

“My wife wanted a cat. I wanted a dog. So now we have a cat that plays fetch,” user u/hbouwers wrote on Reddit. The caption is accompanied by an adorable video of the poster’s black-and-white catch gleefully fetching the ball for his or her owner.

My wife wanted a cat. I wanted a dog. So now we have a cat that plays fetch. from aww

Cats aren’t known for playing fetch like dogs do, but it isn’t unheard of for some cats, especially kittens and felines with Siamese heritage, to enjoy this classic game of retrieval. After all, these famous hunters love to chase mice and birds, and often proudly present them to their owners. The biggest issue, as some commenters duly noted, is getting your cat to regularly commit to the rules of the game.

“The best thing about cat fetch is that they never pull that dog move where they won’t give you the ball. Cats are all about the hunt, not the prize,” one Reddit user commented on the trending video. “The worst thing about cat fetch is that most of the time they run to the object and sit next to it, avoiding the boring “fetch” part of the game.”

cat plays fetch - Wife Wanted A Cat. Husband Wanted A Dog. They Settled On A Cat Who Plays Fetch. — Photo: Flickr/Tony Harrison

But although felines aren’t as easily trained as their canine counterparts, it’s still possible to teach cats a cool trick or two. For instance, GreaterGood and The Animal Rescue Site have teamed up with Jackson Galaxy to develop Cat Pawsitive, a signature program that teaches shelter cats how to give humans high fives. But this GreaterGood signature program is much more than just some cool party trick. This simple skill helps shelter cats build confidence and bond with potential adopters, thereby increasing their chances of finding good homes. (Find out more about Cat Pawsitive, which was also developed in partnership with Petco, here.)

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Regardless, if we can teach shelter cats how to high-five, we bet you can teach your cat (ideally when they’re young) to play fetch. The key will be finding a way to encourage them to bring back the ball on a regular basis, perhaps with a clicker or some other positive reinforcement training. Playing fetch with your feline can also keep your kitty in peak mental and physical shape. After all, indoor cats have a tendency to put on extra pounds, so playing fetch can keep them entertained and help them maintain a healthy weight.