Sitting Up is Not a Dog Trick

Mom says sitting up is a dog trick. It is not and now I have proof! Check out Bear on Kat’s Cat of the Day.

Now, here’s the real scoop about the sitting up.

Bear figured this out by using his Super-Feline powers of observation. Fortunately, I do not have a dog around to keep an eye on. In my case, Dad taught me. He thought I was smart enough to learn this trick and he used kitty treats to teach me. He would hold the treat over my head and say “sit.“ At first I would batt it out of his hand or try to stand up to get it like this:


















But he would only let me have the treat if I sat up properly. It took a couple of days to catch on because I wasn’t used to balancing that way. However, that’s what a nice long tail is good for.




















Sometimes if I feel lazy I just bob up and down a couple of times. They still get the message.

Sitting up is useful for two other things besides getting kitty treats.

First it is an excellent way to tell them what I want. If I want out, I sit up. If I want in, I sit up. If I want to have someone play with me, I sit up. The humans think I’m so cute that they always do what I want.

It is also useful any time I want to see what someone is cooking or eating. Mom always lets me see what she’s got if I sit up. Sometimes she tells me Cats don’t like it, but she still lets me sniff it. If I'm not interested I just walk away. But sometimes, just to prove she’s wrong I eat it anyway. I have eaten black beans, canned corn, canned green beans, canned mushrooms, a raw French fry and a cheerio. I have only licked a grapefruit seed and a black olive because even I have limits, but you get the point.

When I’m done eating treats, I wash up:













and go do something else.