Is your cat more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound?
What about jumping or weaving stealthily around fragile items on your bookshelf? If so, he might just be a super kitty in the making.
Feline agility is a real sport that’s been contested at cat shows for years. But this summer, the stakes have been raised with the Cat Fanciers’ Association now offering agility titles for the first time, with the next local event taking place July 17 and 18 in Somerset, New Jersey.
That may be just four weeks away, but Jill Archibald, the Feline Agility chairperson for the CFA, says that even humble household pets who hang in the window all day could prepare to qualify in about two weeks.
“Anybody’s cat can do it,” says Archibald. “We’ve even had a three-legged cat do agility!”
In fact, the top agility cat in the country right now is Black Jack, a household pet of no particular breed from the Midwest.
So what can you do to create your own supercat?
The first key to getting started in kitty agility is having a good relationship with your feline friend, from being able to read his body language to getting him to respond to your cues.
Food works, too, when you’re first asking him to jump over something. But treats aren’t allowed in the ring, so Archibald, who’s been showing cats for 37 years and teaching physical education even longer, suggests focusing on a range of interesting toys to get your cat’s attention.
“If your cat enjoys following something, even if it’s just a string or dust particles visible in a sun beam, he’ll probably be easy to train,” says Archibald. “If you make it fun and give them the right incentive, they’ll do almost anything.”
The CFA also offers training tips in a video at cfa.org, and you can buy tunnels, jumps and staircases at the pet store.
Once you have some equipment, your training regime can begin: “Sit in your favorite chair with a toy on a long stick and have your cat go back and forth across a few obstacles,” suggests Archibald.
The biggest training challenge will be acclimatizing your homebody cat to a show hall. Archibald suggests placing your cat in a carrier and taking him to the pet store and on other errands to expose him to different situations.
“I also keep my television or radio on all day for my cats,” says Archibald, “and whenever people come to my house, especially children, I ask them to handle the cats. The more varied experiences the cat has, the better.”
When it comes to competing, know what you’re up against: While the best cats run a typical agility course, which includes a circuit of 10 obstacles featuring hurdles, hoops, tunnels and more, in under 20 seconds, each entrant has four minutes and 30 seconds to complete a run. “All they have to do is run the circuit from beginning to end with no mistakes.”
Of course, if a cat goes the wrong way or decides to stop and play in the tunnel, it’s all part of the fun. Plus, as is the case in any competition, it shouldn’t always be about winning, but rather how one plays and what one gets as a result. Kitty agility has other benefits like staying trim and curbing boredom that leads to destructive behavior.
“You won’t have to worry about your cat ruining your furniture if he gets regular exercise,” Archibald says. “Agility is just organized play and a healthy way for cats to get exercise.”
But best of all? Says Archibald, “It’s a wonderful bonding experience for cats and their owners. And it’s an absolute hoot.”