To keep the harness always on or not?

My QT (RB) was harnessed trained. She only wore it for her visit to the vet. Your cat needs to "like" the harness. I have found this link http://aspcabehavior.org/articles/116/Teaching-Your-Cat-to-Walk-on-a-Leash-.aspx very helpful. 

What do you use the harness for?

It's not safe to leave the harness on all the time. She could easily catch it on something and strangle herself. Collars are also dangerous unless they're the safety kind that snap open when pulled.

Right. That said, use always harness when you ride by car. Even if the cat is in a carrier (as it should). 

If anything goes wrong, you do have then this extra precaution of harness + "rope"...[edit = leash]

Lotsa of cats got loose during transportation and did wanished...  They had not harness on.

 

Edited by StefanZ - 1/2/12 at 3:34am

Jamie goes out for a walk in a harness at least once a day, and it's removed as soon as we come back inside. He also wears it for vet visits. In my experience, dog harnesses are often easier to remove than cat harnesses. This is a dog harness with heavy-duty plastic clips - there's no need to put the cat's legs through anything.

I have to disagree here. Not about the carrier . I don't even own a harness for my cats as they are strictly indoors. But when they are in their carrier being transported, the carrier is securely closed, and I buckle them up with the seatbelt. I don't see a problem with the added security of a harness, but I don't think it's wrong not to have one.

I take shelter cats to the vet's and put them in a harness whenever possible, in addition to a secured carrier. It's not simply because they're easier to handle at the vet's office. In the event of an accident and damaged crate, a harness would make it easier to get the cat out without it escaping, especially if you're talking police/fire personnel or Good Samaritans who might not be used to handling cats.

For inside use I had my mom's and sister's cats in harnesses all the time. That was more than a year ago and since moving out both cats have been taken out of their harnesses. They never once got into trouble or snagged on anything inside. Not to say they're totally safe for inside use but I found it helped to have them used to the harness by having them wear it always. I also had roommates at the time and the 2 cats got outside. Grabbing their harnesses from under a car was far easier than trying to grab their under arms. I think it's a matter of what you feel is safe. If you have people always opening the door and rhe chances of the cats getting out is increased than I would be careful with harnesses. When  go home tomorrow I intend on training Oliver to his harness so I can take him outside, he's so restless!