How to Train A Siamese Cat: The Ultimate Guide

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Welcome Crazy Cat people!

Siamese cats are one of the worlds most popular breeds for several reasons. They are affectionate, loving, loyal and they respond well to training.

I used my knowledge of this breed and did some research to answer your questions.

As a general rule, Siamese Cats are very intelligent and easy to train. They also love to play and will see training as bonding time with their owner. It is best to use a reward-consequence system to train your cat, always rewarding good behaviour and progress with treats and affection.

Later in this post, I go into much more detail about how to train your Siamese cat, the items you will need, we even look at how to leash train your Siamese cat.

So if you would like to learn more, keep reading and I hope you enjoy this complete guide to training your Siamese.

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What you will need to train a Siamese Cat?

When training your Siamese cat there are some essential items that you will need for your sessions and I thought it would be best to cover these items first before we delve into the why’s and how’s of cat training!

So one of the first items you will need is a clicker – A clicker is used to give your cat clear instructions when engaging in training, this is a small handheld device that when pressed makes a clicking sound. (You would have never guessed it)

You will also need a target stick which is used to train your cat and to instruct them to follow the stick wherever you want the cat to go.

Let’s not forget the cat treats which I assume you already have! Treats are used for positive reinforcement and reward for when your cat engages in good behaviour.

These items are a necessity in cat training and we will look at how to use them later in this post!

Are Siamese cats smart?

The Siamese cat is one of the most intelligent cat breeds, according to owners and experts. A cats brain contains over 300 million neurons compared to 160 million in a dog. Siamese cats love to show off how easy they are to train, they interact well with humans, and they know how to get what they want.

As you can see cats are very smart especially the Siamese, there is no scientific evidence out there that the Siamese is smarter than any other breed but you only need to ask a Siamese cat owner and they will tell you just how clever this breed is.

According to researchers at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, the physical structure of our brain and that of a cat are quite similar. They have the same lobes in the cerebral cortex as we do and our brains function in a similar way!

They are naturally inquisitive and can work out how to get into all the spaces in your home, including cupboards and wardrobes!

We are Siamese if you please! And we are clever little cherubs!

Are Siamese Cats easy to train?

Siamese cats are very energetic and playful and due to their highly intelligent nature are also very easy to train. Training your cat will require patience and it’s best to train them in regular short intervals combining reward training with clicker training.

With intelligence comes the ability to be able to learn tricks easier than some other cat breeds. Your Siamese cat will enjoy their regular training schedule and because this breed gets highly attached to its owners, the training will help to strengthen the bond between you and your cat.

It’s possible to not only house train your Siamese cat with basic skills such as using the litter tray but you can also teach them how to sit, to give you their paw and also teach them how to play fetch.

Training your Siamese cat also provides physical and mental stimulation which is super important to a breed as inquisitive as the Siamese and it can help reduce any boredom related behavioural issues.

Your Siamese cat should not be mean in any way but if they do start to be aggressive towards you then there are things you can do about it. Check out my post here that goes into depth about Siamese behaviour and how to combat aggression.

It’s important to have patience when training your cat, they can become easily distracted and if they’re not in the mood to play or be trained then its best to wait for a time when they are more responsive as Siamese cats do tend to be a little bit stubborn at times.

If you have ever trained a dog then you will know that they are a little easier to train than a cat, dogs have a pack mentality and love to follow a leader where cats are a little more independent so be patient with your Kitty and you will eventually get there!

You must never get angry with your cat or tell them off throughout the training process, this will automatically create a negative association and instil fear which will set you and your cat back from the process and they may never want to learn how to do tricks or to be trained by you again.

Keep the training sessions short and often so your cat doesn’t get bored, little and often is the golden rule here!

How to train a Siamese cat to use the litter tray?

There is nothing worse than bringing home your new Siamese cat to discover that they are not using the new litterbox you bought for them.

The smell of cat urine on furniture can be really strong and it’s important to not just assume your new cat will use the litterbox automatically without any training. If your cat has spent the required 10-12 weeks with their mother they may have learned how to use the toilet in the correct place.

If your cat is a rescue cat and they were a stray or feral they will have been used to going to the toilet outdoors and this is where you need to do some basic training.

Luckily with a Siamese cat, training them to use the tray should be easy, cats love to dig and hide their ”business”.

There are some basic litter trays rules you should follow before you begin the training regime with your cat!

• Don’t start out with a covered litterbox, you want to make it easy for your cat to get in and out.
• Provide multiple trays with low edges especially if it’s a multi-cat household where generally they say one litter box per cat plus an extra one for safe measure.
• NEVER place the litterbox near their food or water. Would you like to eat your food sat right next to the toilet?
• Keep the litterbox in the same area during the training period so they don’t get confused.
• Use unscented natural litter with your new cat. Scented litter smells awful to your cat and may discourage them from using the box.
• Stick with the same litter they have used previosuly – stick with what is familiar. You can change to a different type of litter at a later date if you so wish.
• Keep the litter box clean, take out old litter at least twice a day and do a thorough clean every two weeks to keep the box smelling fresh.

When it comes to training your Siamese kitten or cat to use the litter tray you can then follow the steps below

1. To begin the training gently place your cat inside their box on a regular basis to get them used to the litter tray, this will begin the process of familiarising them with it and teach them that this is the place to go to the toilet.
2. Place them in the litter tray after mealtimes, cats tend to urinate after mealtimes so this will again help them pick up the message that this is where they need to go.
3. Be aware if you see your cat looking around for a place to pee and get them straight inside the box to prevent any accidents.
4. Once they have used the litter tray give them a treat and a cuddle, not only do Siamese cats love a nice cuddle but this is learning them to associate using the tray with a reward.
5. NEVER punish your cat if they go to the toilet outside the litter box. This will stress the cat out even more and they are more likely to rebel through fear.

Sometimes your cat may have an accident outside the box and if they have not been spayed/neutered they may spray their foul-smelling scent on furniture to mark their territory.

Mistakes do happen and it is completely normal especially when you first bring your new cat home. It doesn’t take away the fact that cat urine can smell so it’s always important to have appropriate cleaning products to get rid of those cat pee smells in the home, should they happen!

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How to train a Siamese cat to do tricks?

Just a few rules first around starting training with your Siamese cat –

• Keep the training sessions short to start out with, around five minutes a time.
• Train your cat when there is no other distractions such has other pets!
• Wait until your cat is active and hungry for best results so around 15-20 minutes before mealtime.
• Have some treats to hand such has temptations to give as a reward.

When training your Siamese cat to do tricks it is important to purchase a clicker and you can see the clicker I use at the beginning of this post or you can check it out by clicking below –

Clicker Training Kit For Cats On Amazon!

What is a clicker?

A clicker is a device used to train your cat to associate the clicking sound with good behaviour and it communicates the exact moment that your cat is doing something right when training them.

You will first teach your cat that the clicking sound is associated with a reward or treat and once he understands that this noise equals a treat then it will make it easier for him to understand that certain behaviours will result in a treat also.

Ho to use a clicker

First of all, we need to build up an association between the clicker and reward and here’s how to do it!

1. Make sure your cat is attentive and close by then make the clicking sound and throw them a treat. This will build up the association that when they hear this sound a treat will magically appear! (Just make sure you don’t press the clicker at any other time than when giving a treat)
2. Repeat this for about 5 minutes and a few times a day for the next few days to really cement the new association.
3. Start to throw the treat when making the clicker sound, so that your cat will have to work a little harder to move around for the reward.
4. It’s important not to say any other words to your cat when performing the clicker training as you want your cat to only associate the clicking sound with the reward and not with your voice.

What is a target stick?

A target stick is used in cat training where you teach your cat to follow the stick around, this is again taught by positive reinforcement. The cats training kit below comes with an integrated target stick and a clicker and also a cool little book with more in-depth information on cat training!

How to use a target stick

We now need to build up an association with the target stick, the clicker and a reward.

1. At the beginning of every training session you want to remind your cat that a click equals a reward, so again practice the above, use your clicker and give a treat! We really want this association to become deeply embedded in your Siamese cats clever little mind.
2. Hold the target stick out for the cat and once he/she approaches the target stick by rubbing against it or by bringing his/her nose towards it then press the clicker and give your cat their treat.
3. Hide the target stick in between clicks, you want to really cement the idea that the click/reward is associated with when they see the target stick.
4. Rinse and repeat, bring out the target stick again and click/give a treat when they sniff it or touch it with their paw.
5. Move the target around to encourage your cat to also move towards the stick, by this time they should have their eyes on the stick eagerly awaiting that tasty treat. Once they have taken a few steps towards the stick, click and give a treat. They may not follow the stick completely at first but even a few steps towards it should be rewarded.
6. Repeat this a few times a day, again in 5-minute sessions until this behaviour is fully learned.

If you have got this far then congratulations!

You are now ready to move on to teaching your cat some cool tricks, well done you!

How to train your Siamese cat to come to you

I thought I would start with this one as it’s one of the easiest tricks for your Siamese cat to learn. At this point, you want to start incorporating verbal cues. This should be a distinct word that is not used too much in your everyday conversations so as not to confuse the cat.

Create a different verbal cue for each trick, In this instance, you could simply use the word ”Come”. Eventually, the verbal cues will be enough and you won’t need to use the clicker and the treats but we have a lot more practice first before we get to that point!

If you have done the previous tasks by getting your cat to follow the target stick then this should work easily for you. Take out the target stick and say the word ”Come” and when your cat walks towards you make sure you then click and reward.

Practice again for 5 minutes so your cat doesn’t get bored and if for any reason they do not come over to the target stick then take a step backwards and continue more training on building the positive association with the stick and a reward.

How to train a Siamese cat to sit

Again this should be a fairly easy trick to teach your beautiful little Siamese cat!

The best way to do this is to hold a treat in your hand while your cat is in front of you so they can see it, then close your hand just above her head and move your clasped hand over the head further away from her in the direction of the tail. The majority of the time they will sit down so they can follow your hand and the moment they sit down click the clicker, say the word ”Sit” and then give them a little tasty treat! Then rinse and repeat!

Easy peasy, lemon squeezy! – Actually no! Scrap the lemon squeezy! Cats hate citrus fruits!

How to Train a Siamese Cat to Fetch?

A lot of Siamese owners report that their cat loves to play fetch. Siamese cats are easily trainable. Yes, it does take patience as they can be stubborn little devils but eventually, they will learn and they will enjoy the extra playtime.

So here’s how to train your cat to play fetch!

1. Pick a toy that will be used for training – Use this toy exclusively for training your cat. This could be a toy mouse or a small catnip toy. The catnip will attract your cat to the toy and encourage play, read more about the benefits of catnip in another blog post I made.
2. Have your clicker and a reward ready for the training.
3. Keep your cat focused on the toy – Hold the toy about 6-8 inches above their face and when they go to touch the toy then click and reward, repeat this numerous times.
4. Teach them to put their mouth on the object – Now they feel confident in touching the treat, you now need to get them to grab it with their mouth. So hold the toy in the same place as before but this time don’t click when they touch the toy. They will be puzzled at first and wonder why they are not getting rewarded and eventually they will try something else. When they try to grab the ball with a slightly open mouth then click and reward.
5. Get them to pick the toy up and hold it – Place the toy on the ground in front of you, if your cat goes over to grab the toy straight away then click/reward. The idea is to keep repeating this until they hold the toy in their mouth for 10-15 seconds.
6. Get them to bring you the toy – place the toy behind the cat and when they go to pick up the toy you can click/reward. Keep placing the toy a little further away and keep rewarding to reinforce this behaviour.
7. Test throwing the toy – Now it’s time to throw the toy and see if they bring it to you. Hey, presto! You just taught your little Siamese to play fetch with you.

Be aware Siamese cats are persistent so you may be playing fetch multiple times a day from now on!

How to train a Siamese Cat to ”High Five”?

How cool! You can teach your cat to give you a high five! Here’s how!

1. Use the target stick to start out with and hold the stick just above the cat’s nose, make sure it’s not too high as the cat will try to sit up but if it’s just above her nose she should naturally hold her paw up and when she does this you can click and reward. Repeat this numerous times in 5-minute sessions.
2. Next, hold a treat in your closed hand in the same position just above her nose and when she begins to touch your hand then click and give the treat. Be patient here as it may take some time for your cat to move from previously touching the stick to touching your hand.
3. Gradually increase the height of your closed hand until she reaches up to touch it and click/reward.
4. Now open up your hand in the high five position just above her head and when she gives you a high five you can then introduce the verbal cue (High five) at the same time that you click and then immediately offer a reward.
5. Repeat until your cat is giving you a ”High Five” consistently.

How to train a Siamese cat to open doors?

Most cat owners wish their cat wasn’t able to open doors but if you want to train your Siamese cat to open doors then here is how to do it.

Just be aware that once they can open doors you will never be able to keep them out of any room especially when you are engaging in ”activities” with your significant other.

There are times when you may need a little bit of privacy but if you want to train them to open doors then here is how to do it!

1. Pick the correct door – Doors with knobs will be harder for your cat to open. That’s not saying that they will never be able to open the door but a door with a lever is a much better option to begin training with.
2. Target stick time – So by now your cat should be already trained to follow the target stick around. If they are not then go back to basics and follow the instructions earlier in this post until they follow the stick around and they touch it with their paw.
3. Touch the door handle with the target stick – You want to do this just above where the handle is. Your Siamese should then try to touch the door handle. If they don’t automatically do this but they just put their paw on the door then use the clicker and reward with a treat. You want to reward any behaviour that your cat does that is getting them closer to the handle. After repeating this a few times only reward them when they touch the handle.
4. Be patient – learning new tricks can take time. You could try holding one of your cat’s favourite treats just above the door handle to encourage them to touch it. Once they consistently touch the door handle it’s time to really embed this behaviour and repeat it with the click/reward system a few times.
5. Work on getting your cat to pull down the handle – Start to reward your cat only when they put weight on the handle of the door. You can help them along with this by picking them up, holding their paw and pressing down on the handle or just pressing down with the handle yourself a few times while they watch to show them how to do this.
6. Attach a verbal cue – Now it’s time to attach a verbal cue, use the word ”open” when your cat try’s to open the door then click/reward.
7. Test out the new trick – Now it’s time to get behind one side of the door with your Siamese on the other side. Have some treats ready, sit down on the floor and say the word ”open”. When your Siamese cat opens the door and comes to you then you can give her a great big cuddle and a treat for being such a clever girl.

Can you Leash Train a Siamese Cat?

Whenever I walk my cats on a leash they always get some bizarre looks from the people around me. People are just not used to seeing cats being walked on leads in the same way as they are dogs.

Training them to walk on a leash is not always the easiest task to do but if you have a cat who wants to explore the outdoors then it may be worth a try. Siamese cats are full of energy and very active so walking them now and again should help to burn off some of the extra stored play energy they have which will help to prevent any bad behaviours that may occur inside the home.

The first thing you need to remember is that cats are shaped differently from dogs so even though a collar with a name tag and contact details is important with a cat for if they get lost a harness is a much more secure option as a cat can easily escape from a collar with a leash on.

You want a harness that is not only escape-proof but one that is comfortable for your cat and breathable when they wear it. Ideally, you want one that is reflective so they can be seen easily if you are walking them in low light conditions!

Check out this escape-proof, comfortable cat harness on Amazon!

Get your cat used to wearing the harness

This is where the fun begins! Now it’s time to get your cat used to the harness! It’s important to do this very slowly. For the first two days just leave the harness around near the cat’s bed or their toys. Let them get used to the smell and when they approach the harness, give them a treat.

Positive re-enforcement is key here you want them to associate the harness with nice things and rewards.

Now it’s time to get them used to wearing the harness. My cats didn’t like it at first so what I did was keep the sessions nice and short especially if your cat seems anxious or scared in any way. Give them a treat regardless of how long they keep the harness on for and in the next session you can increase the time they have the harness on until eventually they are walking around with it on for more than one hour.

When they are fully comfortable wearing the harness it’s now time to move on to the next step!

Attach the leash to the harness

While inside the home it’s now time to get the cat used to wearing the leash, so attach the leash to the harness and walk your cat around the home. Again introducing the leash slowly is best so practise this over the space of a few days.

Once they are used to the leash being attached to the harness it’s now time to begin exploring the great outdoors.

Training your cat to walk on a leash outside

I bet you thought the hardest part was over, didn’t you? Well, you’re wrong.

Once you get your cat outside especially if they have always been an indoor cat then here’s where the fun begins! Your cat will need to get used to the unfamiliar smells, noises and other pets in the area.

This can be a lot to take in for your cat so this may take days or even weeks, consistency and patience are key!

You can use treats to guide your cat to walk in the direction that you want them to, rewarding any good behaviour along the way. You can give them a gentle tug on the leash to distract them and get them to follow you if needed.

Honestly, though the first few sessions are just going to be getting them used to the great outdoors, the rest will follow.

The safety of your cat is the most important aspect

When you take your cat outdoors be mindful of barking dogs and other noises that may startle them. You don’t want to instil fear in them especially during the training period as this could put your little Siamese cat off going outdoors for life!

Also, be aware that by going outside they will need regular flea and worm treatments and regular check up’s at the vets.

Key takeaways – How to train a Siamese cat

• Siamese cats love to play and are highly intelligent so training them should be easier than with some other breeds.
• Use positive reinforcement when training your cats.
• Have patience, training takes time and persistence.
• Train them from a young age, you must have heard the old saying ”You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” well the same applies to cats. You can teach an older cat new tricks but they are more set in their ways.
• Never tell your cat off or get frustrated if they are not performing tricks.
• Keep training sessions short, cats have less of an attention span than dogs.

You may also like one of my other posts”11 Guaranteed things siamese cats LOVE!” – Give it a read and discover more about this beautiful ancient breed of cat!

As always take care of yourself and your little fur babies!

Mark (The Crazy Cat Man)