Dash_Abyssinian

The arm loop jump is impressive. But it's hard to replicate — different arms, different positioning, different people.

The hoop jump transfers easily and can be taught in a day for fats familiar with come to finger cues.

Anyone can hold a hoop. Any hoop works. Once your cat learns the cue is the hoop, not you specifically, the skill becomes genuinely portable.

How to teach it:
→ Familiarise first — let them investigate the hoop on the ground, reward curiosity
→ Walk through flat — hoop at floor level, no jump required yet
→ Elevate gradually — use finger cue to lead them through as height increases
→ Add verbal cue — say "jump" exactly as they go through, every time
→ Fade the finger — delay it, then remove it. If they're jumping on the word alone, you're done.
Then increase height. Remove the clicker. Raise your standards.

The goal was never the hoop. It was teaching them to jump on a verbal cue with any object, with anyone holding it.

For the hoop — look for approximately 40cm / 14 inch diameter, widely available online. Dash uses Hoya treats as his reward throughout — high value, small enough to keep the session moving.

Come to finger is the foundation. This is just one more place it takes you.
Save this if you're working on jumps with your cat. Bengals, Abys, Siamese love jump tricks... maybe yours will too❣️

The arm loop jump or jump to finger cue is impressive. But it's hard to replicate with friends or guests — different arms, different positioning, different people.
Learn the hoop jump... it transfers!
Anyone can hold a hoop. Any hoop works. Once your cat learns the cue is the hoop, not you specifically, the skill becomes genuinely portable.
How to teach it:
→ Familiarise first — let them investigate the hoop on the ground, reward curiosity. We love our Hoya treats. clicker is optional.
→ Walk through flat — hoop at floor level, no jump required yet
→ Elevate gradually — use finger cue to lead them through as height increases. Reward.
→ Add verbal cue — say "jump" exactly as they jump through, every time
→ Fade the finger — delay it, then remove it. If they're jumping on the word alone, you're done.
Then increase height. Remove the clicker. Raise your standards.
The goal was never the hoop. It was teaching them to jump on a verbal cue with any object, with anyone holding it.
Come to finger is the foundation. This is just one more place it takes you.
Save this if you're working on jumps with your cat.

If your cat knows how to follow a finger, this is your next move.
The arm loop jump builds directly on come to finger — no new foundation required.
How to teach it:
→ Lead them across your legs with the finger first — establish the crossing motion
→ Add one arm as an obstacle. Treat on the far side if needed. They have to go over it.
→ Once consistent, add the second arm to make the loop. Lead them through.
→ Fade the treat — the arm motion becomes the cue on its own
→ Same motion works for bed jumps, floor jumps, leg jumps. One skill, endless variations.
Why bother? It's exercise, it's bonding, and it proves something important — your cat isn't just following treats. They're reading your body and generalising skills.
Come to finger is the foundation. The arm loop is just one place it takes you.
Save this if you're working on tricks with your cat. And your cat deserves great treats. Try Hoya Purrkery for best results and a healthier cat.

When someone new meets your cat — at home or out — say yes to the interaction. It can help your kitty in confidence, tricks and more!

Dash was naturally introverted. Visitors at home made him freeze just as much as strangers outside. The solution wasn't protecting him from people. It was controlled exposure with structure.

OUR METHOD
Hand the person -anyone curious to play with him - a treat. Reward with treats until cat is engaged. Give a simple instruction on a single cue. Fist bump. High five. Come. Different people have different timing, different voices, different energy.

When Dash does the same trick with all of them he's not just showing off — he's learning that new people are safe. And he gets better at the tricks too! As confidence builds add more tricks and even puzzles.

This works at home with visitors just as much as outside. You don't need to leash walk your cat to use this.

Meet, treat, repeat. That's the whole formula.
→ Keep leash on if you're outside
→ Treats ready wherever you are
→ Let people in and give them something to do
Save this for the next time you have visitors.

A trained cat walks with you. Mine didn't always.

Early on Dash and I were constantly pulling in different directions. He had his agenda. I had mine. Neither of us was winning.

Three things that changed how we walk for the better:
→ Come recall to finger with leash. This becomes your steering wheel — wherever the finger goes, he follows.
→ Use that recall signal while walking. Guide corners, turns, direction changes without pulling the leash. Encourage cat to pay attention to us and our body.
→ Add difficulty gradually. Fade out the come cue once body language is watched. Other people, obstacles, distractions. Same skill, harder environment. Rewards - treats or praise - to mark desired results. As you know... we swear by Hoya products!

Keep it fun keep it focused.

The difference between a cat dragging you around and a cat walking with you is just practice. Repetition in progressively harder environments.
It takes longer than you think. It's worth it.
Save this if you're working on leash walking.

My cat pushes my glasses off my face. I just started wearing and he has serious intentions to get them off!

My take why: it's scent marking, bonding, and genuine curiosity — glasses are an unusual shape on a familiar face, and they may slightly distort how my eyes look to him. That's interesting to a cat.

Also they move when touched. And he gets my total attention. Cause and effect. He figured that out fast. So i guess i take the blame for this new behavior!

Turns out he's been doing this since he was a kitten — at the breeder's, long before he met me. Bangkok Cats I Bengal & Abyssinian Cat and breeders Pau & Sun ....but that was 4 years ago so its interesting he immediately started again with me!

If your cat does this, drop a comment➡️. It's affection and curiosity. Not nerd bullying. Probably.😻

Your cat has stopped walking and nothing is working.

Before you give up, get angry or pull the leash for 10 minutes, try to read which stop it actually is.

Stop one — distracted or fixated.
Bird, dog, movement. They're locked in and won't budge. Don't pull — you'll lose. Step slightly in front, break their eye line, change direction. try compressing space. Once the fixation breaks, they follow.

Stop two — stressed or scared.
Watch for body language - fluffy tail, slinking, dialated eyes. Or more subtle displacement behaviour — excessive sniffing, crouching, looking away. This is not laziness. This is stress. Do not push.
Wait for the stress to pass. The shake. When a cat shakes after a stressful moment, that's their nervous system physically resetting. That shake is your green light. Food incentive immediately after — then ask them to move.

Stop three — genuinely done for the day as battery runs flat.
Try recall first. Then food incentive such as favourite snacks (for Dash=Hoya). Last resort only — one gentle tug to break inertia. But read them honestly. Some days they're just done. Like some days you don't want to go to the gym. Forcing it teaches them that walks end badly.

The stop isn't the problem. Not knowing which stop it is — that's the problem. So diagnose, stop early, walk often and finish on a win!

Save this for your next walk. Thanks to Paws and Flaws for the training hints.

Today I forgot Dash's harness.
So I did something I'd normally tell you never to do — walked him on just his collar.
Here's why it's a bad idea:
→ Collars break away under pressure by design. Safety feature for snagging — not a leash anchor.
→ A spooked cat pulls free of a collar in seconds. A runaway cat no collar is a massive problem.
→ Neck pressure from a leash is harmful. Harnesses distribute force across the chest.
→ You lose all leash communication. With a harness, a gentle redirect is enough to guide your cat away from traffic, another animal, or a sudden stop in the wrong place. On a collar, any leash guidance risks injury or snap. You're left with verbal and hand cues only — which is fine right up until it isn't.
→ Dash is visibly less confident on collar only. His body language shows it. He knows something's different.

The only legitimate reason to ever walk on collar only: fully harness trained cat, completely controlled environment, building a fallback for the day your harness fails. It was ok inside and during his tricks and play over lunch but the safety factor? Missing in action. Dash was happy with his son Chunho treat rewards...me less so.

I forgot his harness today. Don't make the same mistake.
Save this if you're just starting leash training and follow for harness tips & tricks.

If your cat has a favourite person in the house, it's not random.😻

Cats don't choose based on who loves them most. They choose based on four things:
→ Calm. Not the loudest or most affectionate. The most predictable energy in the room.
→ Who initiates the good stuff. Walks, play, food, the lap invitation. Fun things that are never forced.
→ Who owns the routine. Same times, same patterns, same greetings every day. Routine = safe.
→ Who listens. Dash's morning stretch is a greeting. Lying slightly away means leave me alone. And when something is wrong — who notices and responds? That's the person he can actually communicate with. That's his person.

Your cat isn't being unfair. They're being honest.

Want to become your cat's person? Start with calm. Everything else follows.

Save this and send it to whoever your cat ignores.❤️💢💥