My husband was an only child and his parents gave him a cat when he was 5 years old. The cat lived for 17 years and was a very close companion for him. He likes to joke that they were "brothers". Now we have 4 cats-all of them strays or rescues. They each have their different personalities, likes and dislikes. We have 3 male and 1 female. The female is an inside cats because she is so skittish outside. I did train her to wear a harness and walk on a leash so I can keep track of her-and we have a small "Cat tent" that I let her be in, while outside alone. And yes, you can train cats to do different things. Just watch what they are already good at and turn it into something they want to do to show off. One of my cats will "shake paws" for treats. One likes to catch treats when thrown through the air. Our little chubby cat responds to the question, "Are you cute?" As soon as we say that he curls his head to the side and lays down on the ground so someone can rub his belly.
I really enjoy each one of them and marvel at how fascinating they are!
