There are many different commands you might consider teaching to your cat. Some of them could really be to the benefit to the cat when they know how to do them and follow the command persistently. On the other hand, other types of tricks are just something that you would do for fun or to amuse your friends and family when they come to visit. One of the commands you might find comes in handy on a regular basis is to teach your cat to stay.
Admittedly, most of us probably never really thought about the possibility that a cat would respond to the command to stay when we gave it. In fact, we might never have thought we would have heard those words come out of our mouth, let alone thinking our cat would respond. Cats are amazing in their capability to learn and if you take the time and train them properly, you can teach them to stay on command and more.
The first, and most important thing to remember, is that you are not training a dog. You must keep the training sessions short and sweet if you want to see some results. Each session should only last a few minutes, but you can do it several times through the day if you like. Once your cat gets bored, nothing is going to help.
It is also a good idea to teach your cat some other tricks before you teach them to stay. Tricks, such as sit or come could really be beneficial on a number of levels. After they know how to do those tricks, teaching them how to stay will be a lot easier.
Begin in an area that is free of distractions. Put your cat into position and tell them to stay, perhaps by giving the sit command. After your cat is in position, begin making slow and slight movements to see if they will hold the position. Reward them if they do so. Eventually, you can begin moving away from your cat slightly for a short amount of time. Reward if they stay. Eventually, the distance and amount of time will gradually get longer until they are staying in that position indefinitely.
This is not a command that your cat is going to learn overnight, but it is one that they can learn. If you take the time and are persistent when you train them, they will be able to accomplish great things. Once your cat knows how to stay, you will find that you are using it over and over again for a variety of purposes.