If your curiosity in feline agility is piqued, here’s what to do next:
You should visit the CFA website’s feline agility page. Here’s the link:
http://agility.cfa.org/index.shtml. Be sure to check out the video of a kitten doing agility on a kitty-sized course — as well the five training videos.
Try it at home. Get comfortable with your cat. There’s no need to create a “real” course now. “Sit in a chair with a lure on a long stick, and drag it to get the kitten or cat to follow it. Get comfortable with it. Now your cat has learned to chase the toy.”
Next, improvise a course. Buy an infant tunnel, or just get a box and open it at both ends. Or put a pillow on the floor. Lean a Hula-Hoop against a table or chair, so your cat can jump through. Fill two-liter bottles with water, and get your cat to weave through these. Now use your lure to get your kitten or cat to go through your course. “Once you get your cat to respond to you, you’re both having fun,” says Archibald.
Keep practice sessions short and fun — no more than 10 or 15minutes. “When the cat gets tired of playing, put the toy away,” says Archibald. “Close it away in the cupboard — they’ll know where it is if you leave it on a chair.”
Find a show in your area on the website. Take your cat — or kitten. Try it out in the ring for yourself.
Connect with other enthusiasts, who will help you enter the world of feline agility.
Join CFA Feline Agility Yahoo group: FAC-Training@yahoogroups.com.
