High-fiving is one of the tricks that dog parents are most proud of, and often teach their dogs this fun interaction early on. I mean, I can’t blame them. Getting your pup to give you a high-five on command is pretty cool and is generally considered unique to canines.
But what if I told you that cats are equally capable of learning how to high-five with their parents? One proud cat mom has *the* hack for training your cat to give you some fur, and there are only three steps.
Cat mom trains in three steps
@lifewithopiandfireballHave you taught your pet the High-Five trick? . . . #catlife #catmomlife #catsoftiktok #opiandfireball #funnycats
Opia and Fireball’s mom is brave for taking on training cats to do anything other than use the litterbox. Though, as a Tortie mom, I am a little biased towards the impossible. My girl isn’t about to do anything she doesn’t want to. It may be the Tortie in her, or it may be the fact that she’s 11 and moving firmly into her grumpy old lady era. But, I digress.
Opia and Fireball’s mom says in a video on their TikTok that you can teach your cat this trick in 3 simple steps. First, grab one of their favorite treats and hold it next to their paw in the palm of your hand. Depending on your cat, they will either eat it directly out of your hand or they will paw at your hand.
Which is where the second step comes into play. When they do react, say “high five” and give them the treat as their reward. Once they get the hang of that, she says to start raising your hand higher, and just like that, you will have a high-fiving feline.
Now, as adorable as this is, being cute and funny isn’t the only reason for teaching your cat this trick. Opia and Fireball’s mom points out in the video that the benefits include bonding, confidence building, mental stimulation, exercise, reducing boredom, improved communication, and entertainment, for both you and your kitty.
All good things that indoor cats really need. No one likes what bored cats can get up to. Or rather, what they can destroy. RIP to your couch cushions and the drapes.
People’s thoughts on this hack
This internet was about as impressed with this hack as I was. Some comment that they tried the hack, but their kitten is a little aggressive with their claws. This can definitely be a downside if your cat doesn’t lead with soft paws.
No one wants to get swiped by an eager cat trying to get their treat. Another commenter blew my excuses for not training my Tortie right out of the water. They wrote, “I trained my nearly 16-year-old cat sit, working on paw as it’s more of a swipe also up. They are surprisingly easy to train and self-train a little bit.”
Well, if they can get their 16-year-old cat to do it, I may have to give it a go with my 11-year-old girl. A cat grandma shared her experiences, saying, “I taught my daughter’s cat Peter this while she was away on her honeymoon. I also taught him fist bump and shake.”
That’s so cool that she took the time to train her daughter’s cat. A fist bump may be the way to go for those worried about getting their palms clawed to bits during the training process.
