Train your cat
How to teach your cat to come when called
Cats are considered charming for their lack of regard for our wants, but some training can be fun for both of you and reap some safety benefits.
First off, you could use this trick to play hide and seek with your cat - and what more could you want? Cat owners and babysitters have likely experienced the full panic of not finding their kitty in any of their preferred little hidey holes and think they are lost forever. The worries are endless when it comes to our tiny, house-trained predators. What if there is a fire and you need to get your cat in their carrier immediately? What if you left the door open and this is the only way to get them to come back to safety? Utilize the age-old method of calling your pet's name and having them come running (or more realistically, sauntering) over to you. It's like that feeling you get when the cat in the room chooses to lay on you in a room full of chilled laps - except you can make this happen by wanting it badly enough and learning how.
This is when it gets specific, because you have to find a food treat that they are absolutely enamored with (and can safely eat). Cats settle for nothing less than the best, so if this means the cat version of chips in the form of the smelliest little feline treats you can find then you have to save a stash for this specific purpose. After securing the addictive treats, the next step is to teach them that they only get these delectable treats when they hear their name. Find a time when your cat can tolerate your close presence and bring your treats with you in a closed hand or in a little bag that doesn't crinkle. We want them to associate their name with the deliciousness, not the crinkle of a treat bag. Say their name in an even tone, which is not baby-kitty talk and not the voice you use when they are in trouble, and then immediately give them a treat. Wait 10 seconds, say their name again and treat them immediately. After about 4 treats delivered this way, move farther away from your cat in an area where all they have to do to reach you is walk closer. Say their name and reach forward with the treat this time until they come get it from you. Move farther away in each session until you can be in another room of your dwelling, call their name, and see their little expectant face run-sauntering towards you right when you call them.
With great power comes great responsibility, as they say. You want to use this newfound power sparingly so they don't get tired of the whole exercise, so try to keep it down to a few times daily if you can. Cats don't like humans to know they can be predictable, you know? Let them be mysterious little beings most of the time with a smattering of basic obedience training snuck in.
Treats that my housecat-predator enjoys:
Temptations -Chicken Flavor
Blue Buffalo Bursts
Feline Greenies - Tuna Flavor
Hartz Delectables - these are the creme de la creme for my cat and he will literally crawl up my body in order to get these