Training a Maypole Dancing Cat!

Clicker training is a great way to bond and build trust with your cat, while teaching fun and impressive tricks. It also prevents boredom and redirects their energy from other undesirable behaviours. In this guide, you’ll learn how to train your cat to circle and jump around a DIY maypole, weaving a ribbon pattern. It’s a fun, simple trick for any cat -if they like treats!

I began clicker training almost a year ago with my rescue cat Misty. Having mastered over 20 of the more “standard” tricks, I thought it was time to try something unique …Maypole dancing seemed like a natural choice, as many cats love playing with ribbons so can naturally engage. Following a target and jumping are also simple beginner tricks Misty had already learnt, so Maypole dancing seemed a realistic goal. I have not seen anything like this online, so I thought it would be cool to try, given the theme of this contest!

Training:

1. Clicker.
2. Lickable treat/spoon of food.
3. Target stick.
4. Umbrella or another tall object for your cat to circulate.
5. Colourful ribbon/skipping rope.

Maypole:

1. 1m wooden pole (1-2cm diameter).
2. 2m coloured ribbon (or 2 separate 1m ribbons).
3. Wooden wide, flat base (approx 15x15cm).
4. Drill bit of the same diameter as the wooden pole.

…And a willing cat!

Clicker training is a simple, fun, and cruelty-free form of classical conditioning used to train animals to perform a wide range of tricks. Start training around your cat’s meal time so they are alert. This trick is suitable for cats of any age to learn, given enough patience and practice!

1. Introduction to the Clicker:

Click and immediately toss a treat towards your cat. Repeat 10–15 times until your cat learns that click = reward.

Tip: After a few tosses, try tossing the treat a little further, and if your cat turns back to you for the next treat, they are enjoying the training. If you feel your cat is not enjoying the training at any point, stop and try again later.

2. Introduce the target:

Use a spoon of food or lickable treat as your target. Hold it a few centimetres from your cat’s nose, and click when they sniff it. Reward them with a treat form your hand (not from the spoon/lickable treat -you want to encourage them to touch it without needing to see the food there).

Soon you should be able to offer the spoon without any food on it. This shows the cat fully understands what it needs to do to earn the treat.

Tip: Always make sure to click immediately, and reward as quickly as possible. This reinforces the “good” action.

3. Introduce target:

Begin phasing out the lickable treat/spoon by offering the largest stick at the same time and continuing to click, and reward.

Tip: Don’t go too quickly on this step. As with anything in cat training, take your time and don’t try to move too fast.

4. Start moving the target:

Once your cat reliably touches the target, move it slightly to one side so they need to walk to reach it. Click and treat when your cat follows and touches it. Keep sessions short and positive.

Try leading the cat under, over or around obstacles following the target, starting off simpler and then increasing the difficulty.

Your cat can now follow a target stick -an essential skill for cat training!

5. Around and around:

Now practice leading your cat around a tall object such as an umbrella. Always guide them in the same direction, to avoid confusion. Start of with one circle, then a reward, then try two circles before rewarding.

Your cat can now circle an object -we will soon replace this object with a DIY maypole.

Tip: At first try encouraging your cat to circulate the object in either direction, then settle for the one they find easier. Don't try to teach circulating in both directions at this stage.

6. Introducing the rope:

Place a colourful ribbon on the ground. Use the target to guide your cat over it. Click and treat when they step over it. Then try raining the ribbon off of the ground so they have to jump, and continue raising the height until they are consistently jumping about 30cm high.

Tip: If your cat wants to go under the ribbon instead of over it, drape a lightweight cloth over it to demonstrate they can’t go under -only over! If they struggle, lower the ribbon and persist over several training sessions.

Now your cat can jump over the ribbon on command!

7. Combining tricks:

Use the target to guide your cat around an object, then to jump over the ribbon you are holding, and touch the target. Click and treat for completing both actions. This is a particularly tricky step, and you will want to spend time consolidating everything your cat has learnt.

Tip: So much learning can be overwhelming, so keep training sessions maximum 10 minutes long, and always positive. Ideally practice every day/a few times a week, especially while tricks are still fresh in your cat’s mind!

Now your cat is fully equipped to maypole dance!

Make your pole however you like -but ensure it has a sturdy base and somewhere to tie on ribbons at the top.

1. Cut a piece of wood into an approximate 15x15cm square. It must be sturdy to support the pole when the ribbons are pulled at the top.

2. Cut a piece of wooden pole ~1m long. A larger cat needs a taller pole, but not by much!

3. Drill a hole the same diameter of your pole into the wooden base.

Tip: If you have a deeper base, you could drill only part of the way through so the pole doesn't stick out underneath.

4. Push the pole into the base so it is held securely in place.

Tip: Although you could screw it in, I wanted to keep the design collapsible to make it easier to store longer term.

5. Tie 2 ribbons of length ~1m to the top of the post. This means they can be slotted on and off of the top easily should you wish to disassemble it.

You now have a simple, DIY, cat-sized maypole!

Your cat has all the skills to tackle this final step -it’s just implementing what they learnt earlier in situ!

1. Try replacing the umbrella with the pole (ribbons removed). Practice the same trick you did with the umbrella -circling the pole and jumping over a ribbon you are holding.

2. Tie 1 ribbon to your cat's collar and slot the other end back over the pole. Attach one end of the ribbon you are holding to the pole as well. Continue practicing the trick with the addition of ribbons.

Tip: If your cat chases the ribbons at first, try moving the ribbon across the floor as if to stimulate play, and reward when they don't interact with/look at the ribbon. You can also try different types of ribbons.

3. Continue practicing the trick but gradually fade out the target stick, using your finger as a guide. Given enough practice and patience, your cat should be able to carry out the trick my themselves without guidance.

The maypole trick is now complete, but you could try try adding more tricks, ribbons, and cats to the routine!

Overall, I would say this has been a really fun bonding experience for both Misty and myself, as well as improving our ability to communicate and work as a team! Given enough patience, creativity, and ribbons, even the most unlikely ideas can come to life. It’s definitely inspired me to try more quirky projects with Misty in the future -who knows what we’ll attempt next!

I hope this project has inspired you and your cat too! 🐾