Harness and going Out

Well I just put Tyran's harness on her. She's not too happy but she's not making any real effort to take it off. I was wanting to take her to Petsmart today since she never gets to leave the house except to go to the vet. I would take Miki but Miki is far to shy and terrified of the outside world. Tyran is 7 months and has never really worn a harness. Right now she's walking around with it, trying to knock my stuff off the coffee table. She's used to her break-away collar and never takes it off. What do you all think about her going to Petsmart in her new harness?

If this is the first time that your cat has been in the harness, taking her to PetsMart may NOT be a good idea just yet.

You have no idea how she will react to the automatic door, the other people walking around, the pups that may be there, the clerks, the visual and audio assault that she will experience on going into the store.

I only say this because I walked with my Diddo Kahli for over a year, outside with her in her halter. I knew how whe would react to cars, other people and dogs. She alsmost flipped when the automatic doors opened at the store.

Please give your baby some time to get used to the halter and give yourself trime to experience different things with her so that you will be able to make sure that she is always safe.

She's used to the harness now and walks around without paying attention to what she's wearing. I've attached the leash to her harness and all she seems to want to do is play with it. I'm watching to make sure neither of the cats get hurt. I'm going to let Tyran trail the leash around for a bit then take her outside to see what she thinks of the great outdoors.

I think taking her to Petsmart would be too much simulation, and could actually back track her progress. She hasnt even been outdoors. Petsmart has lots of pups and I dont think a cat would be comfortable with dog lunging at her and barking and trying to sniff. The doors would probably give her a heartattack and the people would just be too much.

I think Petsmart is a place for dogs, not for cats. Too many scary things for a kitty

Tyran's not really frightened of dogs. I had the idea of taking the carrier inside from the car and letting her out of the carrier once I'm inside the store. If she starts feeling scared or nervous, I'd simply put her back in the carrier. She is adapting to the leash very quickly. She only notices she has it on when Miki attacks the end of it and pulls it.

She may not be frightened of dogs, but if one attacks her, you might not even be able to intervene properly to keep her from being hurt. Why look for trouble? I understand your wanting to 'show off' your cat, but it may not be in her best interests.

I saw a lady walk out of Petsmart one time with her cat slung over her shoulder. She opened the door of her beat-up car and tossed the cat in are drove away.

That must one comfortable cat in public!

I don't think Petsmart is the best idea but I think if you shelter your cat and it never goes anywhere you may be asking for trouble later. I take my cat on car rides (in a carrier) to the post office, bank, drive-thrus, etc... places where I don't have to get out of the car. I am trying to desensitize him but so far he still meows constantly. I also take him to my mothers for "visits" -- this way when I go out of town and he stays there he is not freaked out for days.

It really depends on your cat. Bijou and Mika love going in the car and we take them everywhere. At the hardware store Bijou has his harness and leash on and walks up and down the aisles checking everything out. Mika is smaller and will just stay in our arms while we walk around with her. I walked around Home Sense one Saturday afternoon for at least one hour and she made no attempt to get down. She loved all the attention too - especially the kids. She loves children.

Depending on how she is in your arms......I dod the same thing with Maia but found that takeing her out side with the harness and leash before she was literally annoyed by it allowed her to except it quicker. A new surrounding gave her less time to worry about it, and she associates it with travel now which she enjoys just as much!

If you really want to do it, I would take her to shops regularly just in her carrier initially just to let her get used to different noises and smells. That way she can adjust, and you can get a better idea of how she might react in that situation.