Can Cats Play Fetch? What Science Says and How to Teach It

Your cat drops a hair tie at your feet. Then she sits there and stares up at you. You toss it across the room, and she trots after it. A minute later, it's back by your foot.

So, can cats play fetch? Many can, and plenty start without anyone teaching them. A 2023 survey of fetching cats found that the cats started and ended the game more often than their owners did. Below: the study, why cats do it, how to teach it, what to use, and what to play if she won't fetch. One catch: hair ties are among the things cats most often swallow, so we'll swap that one for a toy.

What Did the 2023 Study Find?

A 2023 survey found that most fetching cats picked up the game with no training. Jemma Forman, Elizabeth Renner and David Leavens ran the online survey for a paper in Scientific Reports. In it, 924 owners described 1,154 cats that fetch or used to.

Here's what those owners reported:

• No training: owners said 94% of the cats (1,089) started fetching with no training. Only 6% (65) were taught on purpose.
• Cats in charge: cats started fetch sessions more often than their owners did. They ended them more often, too.
• Young starters: most cats (701) were under a year old when their owners first noticed it. The next group (415) was one to seven years old.
• Breeds: most of the cats were mixed breed. Siamese was the purebred owners reported most often, with 36 cats.

Who usually starts the game, and who ends it?

Owner answers for 1,154 fetching cats, one answer per cat for each question.

Cat starts553

Owner starts249

Both, equally352

Cat ends675

Owner ends248

Both, equally231

Cats usually ended the game for 675 of the 1,154 cats. Owners did for 248.

The study has a limit. It only asked owners of cats that fetch or used to, and it relied on what those owners reported. So it can't say how many cats fetch overall.

A team at Purdue University looked at that question, using owner survey data. In an article republished by PBS NewsHour, they said more than 40 percent of the cats in their data played fetch. Their paper in PLOS ONE adds that the owners chose to take the survey. So they may not match all pet owners.

Why Do Some Cats Fetch?

Fetch looks like a dog game, but it seems to grow out of the way cats hunt. The Purdue researchers, Mikel Delgado and Judith Stella, note that cats carry prey away from where they catch it. They write that this may partly explain how a game like fetch could arise. The 2023 paper adds that cat play looks a lot like hunting.

It's also a game with you. One owner in the survey described a cat who brought a toy back, unprompted, and dropped it nearby. Then he sat and waited for the next throw. That's one answer to "why does my cat bring me toys?" If your cat does that, she's starting the game.

The Purdue team found Siamese, Tonkinese, Burmese and Bengal cats were the most likely to fetch. Active cats, and cats that started play with their owners, were more likely to fetch, too. Older cats and cats with health problems were less likely.

What Should Your Cat Fetch?

Cats choose some odd things to fetch, and a few of them belong in a drawer. In the 2023 survey, cat toys were the favorite type owners named most often. Next came round things, like crumpled paper and foil balls. Then came personal care items, like hair ties and cotton swabs. Owners also listed bottle parts, like lids and ring pulls, plus twist ties and shoelaces.

Some of those favorites are easy to swallow. PetMD lists swallowed objects as a cause of a blocked gut. The most common ones are string, yarn, dental floss, hair ties or rubber bands. The page, by veterinarian Michael Kearley, calls a blocked gut a surgical emergency.

Cat Friendly Homes adds tinsel and ribbon. It says these are easily swallowed and can cause very serious gut problems that need surgery.

So the fix is a swap, not a scolding. Keep hair ties, rubber bands, string and bottle caps out of her reach. Then offer a cat toy she can carry instead. The Cornell Feline Health Center says to avoid toys with small pieces or string-like parts. Those can come off and be swallowed. Bottle caps and ring pulls are small, too, so they go in the drawer.

How Do You Teach Fetch?

Start with what your cat already does, and reward every small step. This plan follows the VCA Animal Hospitals kitten fetch steps. It adds tips from PetMD's fetch guide. Here's how to teach a cat to fetch, one small step at a time.

1. 1

   Warm her up with a chase

   Bounce the ball-tip end of a wand along the floor for a minute. LitterBond's Telescopic Scratcher & Teaser Wand has flexible prongs with round ball tips. There's no string on the teaser end. Play with it together, and check the tips before each session. Throw it away if any part is worn or loose. After play, put it away out of her reach.

2. 2

   Pick the toy she already carries

   Use her favorite cat toy, the one she carries around, every time, as PetMD suggests. If her favorite is a hair tie or bottle cap, use its swap from the table above.

3. 3

   Use a small room and short throws

   PetMD suggests a small, closed-in space with few obstacles. VCA starts by rolling the toy just a few feet away.

4. 4

   Reward the pickup

   When she grabs the toy, praise her. Give her a small treat, as VCA describes.

5. 5

   Call her back, then add distance

   Once she picks it up every time, call her to you. Reward her when she comes back. Then throw it a little farther.

6. 6

   Teach the drop

   Hold your hand under the toy, and reward her when she lets go. Later, VCA says you can give treats only some of the time. Always praise her, though.

7. 7

   Stop while she still wants more

   PetMD suggests 3 to 5 minutes at a time. She may fetch only once or twice before she's done. That's fine.

If she seems stuck on a step, VCA suggests rewarding even smaller steps in the right direction. And let her end the game. As Cat Friendly Homes puts it, "When your cat walks away from you, they are done playing."

What If Your Cat Won't Fetch?

A cat who watches the toy and walks away is normal, and she can still enjoy a chase. Remember who the 2023 survey asked: only owners of cats that fetch. Plenty of cats love to stalk, chase and pounce. They just never bring a thing back.

Some cats perk up for a toy with catnip inside. Not every cat reacts, though. Here's why some cats ignore catnip.

Or skip the return trip and play a treat game. You can roll a piece of kibble along the floor by hand.

Or drop a few small treats into a hand-held launcher, like LitterBond's Pastel Pocket Treat Launcher. It's spring-loaded, with no batteries. Aim low at an open patch of floor, never at your cat or at people. Then press the side button. The treat skitters across the floor for her to track, chase and pounce on.

No treat game will make a cat chase when she isn't in the mood. If she walks off, stop and try another day.

A few rules for the treat game:

• Treats: they aren't included. Use small dry or freeze-dried treats, or kibble broken into pieces. Skip wet or soft treats.
• Start small: use short launches across the floor, off to one side of her. Test crumbly treats first, since they can stick.
• Fingers: keep them clear of the launch mouth once it's loaded.
• Daily total: every treat she chases counts toward her daily treats. The Cornell Feline Health Center gives a rule of thumb. Don't let treats go over 10 to 15 percent of a cat's daily calories.
• Afterward: it's for play together only. Put the launcher away after each session, out of reach of children and pets. Check it regularly, and throw away worn or broken parts.

What Does a Good Session Look Like?

Keep each game short, and end it while she's still having fun. International Cat Care says cats are sprinters rather than marathon runners when it comes to play. So one minute of frenzied activity is a good result. iCatCare also notes that short, frequent play sessions are closest to the way cats hunt. If winter keeps your cat inside more, a few mini-games through the day fit right in.

A short session might look like this:

1. One minute of a wand-toy chase to warm up.
2. A few short throws of her favorite toy, if she fetches.
3. Two or three treat chases with the launcher to finish.
4. All the toys put away until next time.

For the bigger picture, see how long to play with your cat each day.

When Should You Call the Vet?

A change in how your cat plays can be the first sign that something is wrong. If she suddenly loses interest in play and in food at the same time, she needs a vet check.

Do you see something under her tongue, or coming out of her rear? Don't pull on it. PetMD warns it may be caught somewhere else inside her. Pulling can cause more harm.

So, can cats play fetch? Yours might, on her own terms. If you do one thing tonight, make it the swap. Put the hair ties in a drawer, and hand her a toy she can carry. Keep the throws short. When she walks away, the game is over, and that's her call.

Questions this guide did not cover

Why does my cat want to play fetch at night?

Because many cats are most active around dawn and dusk. International Cat Care says to choose a play time that suits you both. In the 2023 survey, the bedroom was a common spot for fetch. Some cats dropped the object in bed while their owner was asleep.

Do male cats fetch more than female cats?

Somewhat, in the data so far. In the 2023 survey, more of the fetching cats were male (617) than female (537), a difference the authors call significant. Males and females didn't differ in who started or ended a session. The larger Purdue study, which also included cats that don't fetch, found female cats were less likely to fetch. Neither study shows why, and plenty of females fetch.

Are cats as likely as dogs to fetch?

No, not in the Purdue team's owner surveys. Writing for PBS NewsHour, they said almost 80 percent of dogs played fetch, against more than 40 percent of cats.

Can I use a laser pointer instead of fetch?

Yes, as long as the game ends with a real catch. iCatCare notes that a laser lets a cat stalk, chase and pounce, but not catch. It suggests switching to a wand toy to finish, so the game ends on a positive note for your cat. Keep the dot on the floor and walls, and never shine it in her eyes or anyone else's.

Related reading

• How Long Should You Play With Your Cat? A Simple Daily Play Plan
• Cat Toy Safety: What to Supervise and When to Throw It Out