This article was co-authored by Carrie Seay, MS-CABAC, KPA-CTP, CBCC-KA. Carrie Seay is a Feline Behavior Consultant and the Owner of Carrie Pawpins based in Phoenix, Arizona. With over a decade of experience, she specializes in working with cat owners to prevent and eliminate cat behavioral issues. Carrie holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Northern Arizona University and a Master’s degree in Companion Animal Behavior Analysis & Counseling from The American College of Applied Science. She has multiple certifications from well-known training programs like Karen Pryor academy.
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Cats are good climbers. Ladders are for climbing. Logic dictates that a cat should be able to climb a ladder. Well, it can- it just doesn’t want to. You can’t “teach” a cat to climb a ladder because it already knows how. Rather, you need to motivate it to climb the ladder. You probably have your own reasons for trying this, but using treats, toys and feline curiosity should help you motivate your cat to climb a ladder.
Steps
Making the Climb Seem Appealing
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1Set up the ladder. Presumably, you are not trying to get your cat to climb a ladder so it can help you patch the roof or clean the gutters. Since this exercise is purely theoretical anyways, set the ladder up in a safe place and make sure it is does not reach too high in the air.[1] This will prevent you and the cat from hurting yourselves when trying this out.
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2Cover the ladder in carpet. A cat will be far more likely to climb up a ladder if it can comfortably grip the steps.[2] Since cats use their claws to dig in and gain traction, cover the ladder steps in carpeting or some other soft cloth to help the kitty get its footing.Advertisement
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3Leave the ladder out. Once you have covered the ladder in cloth, just leave it out. Cats love to investigate objects they are not used to. Ladders only work for one thing, climbing up and down. Just leaving this interesting new thing out for the cat may be enough to get the cat to climb it.
- A cat that is not forced, watched, or feeling that it is obliged to perform is more likely to discover the ladder and make an ascent for the fun of it, without your interference or coaxing.
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4Climb up the ladder yourself. Cats are curious creatures. Use this curiosity to your benefit. Climb the ladder yourself and see if your cat is interested enough in what you are doing to simply follow you up.
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5Coax the cat up. If your cat doesn’t immediately follow you up the ladder, try calling the cat’s name and encourage it to climb to the top. This may be enough to get your cat scurrying right up to the top next to you.
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6Help the cat. If the steps above don’t work, then manually help your cat climb the ladder. Take its legs (not tightly) and move its legs up the ladder gently, one rung at a time. If your cat struggles at all, stop. This is a really unnatural exercise and no cat should be forced to attempt it.
Enticing Your Cat Up the Ladder
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1Put the ladder in place. Place the ladder in a safe place in your house, preferably above a soft surface. Make sure the ladder doesn’t lead to anything too high to avoid feline and human injuries.[3]
- It is probably wise to make sure this ladder doesn’t lead to any surfaces you’d prefer to keep the cat off, like counters, shelves, or the kitchen table.
- Again, make sure the ladder is covered in a soft cloth or carpeting so the cat can get adequate traction.
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2Put treats at the top of the ladder. You can climb the ladder yourself. Or, if you're afraid of heights, just put the treats as high as you can reach and tap on the step with the treats on it to encourage the cat to climb up.[4]
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3Use a toy. If your cat likes to play with a particular toy, use that toy to motivate your cat up the ladder. A string will work best for this, as your cat can follow the string up rung by rung. Keep the cat moving after the toy until it has navigated all the rungs and reached the top of the ladder.
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4Tap the top of the ladder. After trying the treats and toys out, try to encourage your cat by tapping the top of the ladder and calling its name. This final nudge of encouragement may be enough to get your cat up the ladder.
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5Try clicker training. Teach your cat to associate a click-clack noise with a tasty treat. Then lure your cat to the first rung on the ladder. Click and reward your when he looks at the rung or puts a paw on it. Gradually, your cat will learn he gets a reward for stepping on the ladder and you can start to progress him upwards.[5]
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6Wait and see. After trying all of these techniques, your cat may come to associate the ladder with a toy or obstacle to be played with. If this is the case, the cat may ascend the ladder on its own without any treats, toys or encouragement from you.
- Cats are secretive animals. You may want to try setting a camera up around the ladder to see if the cat may be using it when you aren’t around.
Expert Q&A
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QuestionHow can I encourage my cat to climb?
Carrie Seay, MS-CABAC, KPA-CTP, CBCC-KACarrie Seay is a Feline Behavior Consultant and the Owner of Carrie Pawpins based in Phoenix, Arizona. With over a decade of experience, she specializes in working with cat owners to prevent and eliminate cat behavioral issues. Carrie holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Northern Arizona University and a Master’s degree in Companion Animal Behavior Analysis & Counseling from The American College of Applied Science. She has multiple certifications from well-known training programs like Karen Pryor academy.
Feline Behavior ConsultantUse a lure to get your cat up on the first step. Once they get 3 or 4 paws on that first step, reward them with a click and a treat. Then, continue encouraging and positively reinforcing your cat on a step-by-step basis. Eventually, you'll be reinforcing the entire set of stairs rather than each individual step.
Warnings
- If your cat starts climbing the ladder by itself, then watch out when you're putting up lights or other objects because the cat might hurt itself.⧼thumbs_response⧽
- Never force a cat to go up a ladder if it doesn't want to! You could end up hurting the cat or yourself.⧼thumbs_response⧽
- This list is not guaranteed to work. Your cat will decide if and when it will climb a ladder.⧼thumbs_response⧽
Things You'll Need
- A ladder
- A cat
- Some small treats.
References
- ↑ Carrie Seay, MS-CABAC, KPA-CTP, CBCC-KA. Feline Behavior Consultant. Expert Interview. 1 March 2022.
- ↑ Carrie Seay, MS-CABAC, KPA-CTP, CBCC-KA. Feline Behavior Consultant. Expert Interview. 1 March 2022.
- ↑ http://catladder.com/about
- ↑ Carrie Seay, MS-CABAC, KPA-CTP, CBCC-KA. Feline Behavior Consultant. Expert Interview. 1 March 2022.
- ↑ Carrie Seay, MS-CABAC, KPA-CTP, CBCC-KA. Feline Behavior Consultant. Expert Interview. 1 March 2022.
About This Article
If you want to teach your cat to climb a ladder, put a few of your cat’s favorite treats at the top of it to encourage climbing. If the top is too high for you, just choose the highest step you can reach. Tap the top of the ladder to get your cat’s notice and call its name at the same time. If your cat pays attention, dangle a piece of string near the first step to encourage your cat to climb up. Keep playing with the string, pulling it up one step higher each time your cat climbs onto a lower step. Once you’ve done all you can to get your cat interested in the ladder, wait for your cat to decide whether or not it will use it because cats don’t take orders from anyone! For more tips from our Veterinarian co-author, including how to set up the ladder safely, scroll down!
