Feline Agility?

I Thought Agility Was For Dogs!

- Beth Deal

Agility, that is for dogs, RIGHT? Well actually, it is not. Feline Agility is very much a part of the Cat Fanciers' Association. Cat agility does somewhat look like AKC agility, but is actually very different. Dogs respond to their owners through training. While some cats can learn to respond similarly, most do not. Feline agility relies heavily on the prey drive of cats. Wand toys, clickers, lasers, and even small toys that need to be thrown may be used. Empty treat bags or Churu pouches are popular as well. The only thing that you may not use in the ring is actual food.

How is Agility Scored? Is it the fastest time like it is for dogs? There are a total of 10 obstacles that are placed in a specific order in the Agility enclosure. A cat must complete all obstacles in the correct order for their time to count. Scoring is as follows: Each cat is timed and will be timed to 1/100th (2 decimals to the right of the decimal point) of a second.

The time starts when the cat's paw touches the first obstacle which is the stairs. The cat will receive 15 points for each obstacle completed in the correct order while running counterclockwise. Bonus points will be awarded for cats with clean runs within the maximum time of 270 seconds (4 minutes and 30 seconds). The bonus is figured by subtracting the cat's time from the maximum time allowed. The maximum score would be 420 points; however, a cat cannot run the course in 0 seconds. A cat that ran in 10.02 seconds would receive a score of 410 points. A cat that ran in 10.52 seconds would receive a score of 409 points. Each cat may go into the ring up to three different times; the best score from three timed runs will stand as the final score. If two or more cats are tied, then each cat will have one additional run to break the tie.

Can My Cat Earn Any Titles in Agility?