Harnessing cats

Do you think harnessing a cat so they can go outside is a good idea? If so, what kind would you recommend?

Yes!!  I put mine on a harness all the time.  Go to Petco or PetSmart and ask about cat harnesses.  Take your cat with you if you don't know the size you should get they will "fit" them there!  They have a variety.  And your cat will let you know which one feels best.  Trust me.  Don't be surprised if they freak out... It's normal and in a way, it's good for testing!  That way you can be sure they won't wiggle out of them.  Cats are a bit slower to get used to the leash so while they are doing so, keep them indoors so they don't run away.  Good luck!

My BF said in NO WAY are we ever taking our kitty outside on a lease (he thinks it looks too silly). Little does he know I've already bought a harness from the pet store and I'm just waiting for it to warm up outside lol. I Just brought my boy to the pet store and got one that fit. 

Oh I have one kitty who loves to go for walks with his harness and leash. He struts around like he is someone. I think it is a great idea to take them for walks if they are up for it. It allows them to safely go outside and see the world and is great exercise. People on my street giggle when they see us walking. He is also very friendly so kids walk up and pet and love on him. I am actually at the moment working on getting him certified for pet therapy. He will be so good at it once we correct a couple of small issues.

My Princess on the other hand is not so much into the walking on a leash thing. Anything besides soft carpet or good flooring is beneath her. Grass or dirt on those precious little paws and she has heart failure. The funniest thing I have ever seen was trying to take her outside on the lawn and watching her to try to avoid walking on the grass. She would lift her legs waaaaay up and do this bounce hop thing. When she hit the porch she looked so relieved. I tried again and she wanted no part of it. She is content to lay in her bed and have her servants serve her.

My Phoebe, Paige and Morgan La Fay LOVE LOVE LOVE walking on the leash/harness outside.  Piper and my boy, King Arthur don't really enjoy going outside.  They prefer the comforts of home and the indoors to being outside! 

I bought a adjustable nylon harness. There are many out there. But I figured I could ask you about the more expendsive padded, mesh one and the one that looks like a shirt. Right now Peanut is falling over and laying there. I will give him time to get adjusted with the 100 pound weight on his shoulders

Our 14 yo Siamese male walks well with a vest style of harness and on a leash but it is in a small pocket park a few doors from our home and there are no dogs around. I always bring his carry bag to put him in if a dog does appear and I have to stay very close to him as he tends to take fright with any loud sudden noise or jogger pounding by. He once was able to slip out of his harness by backing up when I made the mistake of holding onto the lead with tension. These days when he tries to go off limits I just pick him up and put him back to where I can stay in control. Good luck if you try walking your cat - it can be quite risky, I only do it because he is quite unhappy about being confined to the house as he used to be a free roaming cat with his previous family.

Mine go out on harnesses but only in the backyard. We use roman style dog harnesses.

I have been walking my cat for well over a year now. We drive out to woods which are quiet and mostly dog free. He will happily walk well over a mile, just like a dog . The only difference being frequent tree climbing stops!

We use the regular harness but with a retractable dog lead. He is very good about lifting his legs over the lead if he gets in a tangle and is aware of it when he climbs - very high.

My husband was a little wary of "walking a cat" at first, however enjoyed it from the start. Most people are so amazed to see a cat trotting along enjoying a walk that they stop to chat. No one has been rude or negative.

I trained him when he was a kitten, so it was probably much easier for him as he knows no different. He loves riding in the car - he likes to look out of the window! No problems on a bus - even the Paris Metro did not phase him. He is also happy in his carry bag in busy shops, main roads etc..

When we are in the garden, i let him roam around where he pleases unlike when in the woods where we follow a "path".

Please feel free to PM me if anyone has any questions. I would love to hear from other harness users!!!!

I would love to have Hobo walk with me! Where do I start? The pet store is a little far to be taking him to try on the harnesses. How do I get him used to i? He is 3 years old, will that be to old?

Hobo08 said:

I would love to have Hobo walk with me! Where do I start? The pet store is a little far to be taking him to try on the harnesses. How do I get him used to i? He is 3 years old, will that be to old?

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I just bought a then kitten harness and fitted it myself. Make sure that you can fit a finger easily underneath when you put it on. Your cat will probably roll like crazy at first! I would leave it on for 5 mins, give him a treat then take it off. You can build up the time a little each day. When he is comfortable with it - this may take a couple of weeks, you can think about taking him outside.

Again its little by little each day - 5 mins at first. He will lead you, but thats fine! It took over two months for my cat to walk along like a dog. I found that doing all of the above at the same time each day helped as it became part of his routine. I also feed him as soon as we get back inside.

Good luck! Please let us know how you get on.

x2006nkg said:

My BF said in NO WAY are we ever taking our kitty outside on a lease (he thinks it looks too silly). Little does he know I've already bought a harness from the pet store and I'm just waiting for it to warm up outside lol. I Just brought my boy to the pet store and got one that fit. 

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I wonder what people first thought when they saw a dog being walked on a leash! :lol3: I made Wessie a harness, but haven't used it too much. He does walk on it pretty well inside of the house.

I have one for my cat that I walk her on although lately it's more like just going out in the yard and standing there while she eats grass. But we've gone on walks to the park and so forth. You need a harness though not just a collar. I have the kind that's the collar part but then one around her chest and the leash hooks on to the part that connects the two.



You should always actually be with them holding the leash though not just tying them up in the yard because then they wouldn't be able to get away if a dog came. We always get a little nervous when we see dogs and a couple of times they've sort of chased her up a tree but overall it works good and people think it's cute and she gets a lot of attention. But sometimes she gets stubborn and wants to plop down in the middle of the sidewalk half way home and I have to carry her. But she actually meows at the door wanting me to take her out or sometimes I say "Do you want to go outside kitty?" and she gets excited and goes to the door and stands up against it on her hind feet and lets me put the harness on. I started doing that a couple months after I got her and she had been an indoor only got up until that point. I don't remember it really being that hard to train her or anything. I have her on Advantage Multi and so far no parasites although I thought she had a slight case of ear bites once but it turns out that was normal ear wax that I saw and she just happened to be itching it. But definitely at least have basic flea prevention if you're gonna be taking your cat out.

Nobody tryed any of those shirt kind of harnesses Huh?

I have a nylon harness that is very adjustable. I know cats are escape artists.

Hobo08 said:

I would love to have Hobo walk with me! Where do I start? The pet store is a little far to be taking him to try on the harnesses. How do I get him used to i? He is 3 years old, will that be to old?

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Three years isn't too old!  I just started walking my cat outside on a leash and he is eight.  I think it depends on your cats temperament; some cats don't mind it, and others can't stand it.  I was one of the lucky ones!  I wouldn't bring him to the pet store just guess his size; you can always return it.  There are also pretty cheap (I spent $6 on the harness and leash).  Start by putting him on the harness indoors, then add the leash.  GIVE LOTS OF TREATS.  The trick is not to pull (cats can be extremely stubborn), and let him lead you.  Find a nice quiet park and let your cat explore, follow him.  You really can't force them where to go (unless you pick them up).  Once he is more comfortable, you can start to direct him a little bit. I lightly tug the leash and whistle and my cat will follow.  It is more like walk, walk, *hesitate*, walk, walk, *hesitate*.  Just have faith!  I also pick my cat up when he gets too scared of people/traffic/dogs, whatever!  Cats are a lot more cautious than dogs, which is why its harder to walk them.  The quieter the spot, the better.  Have fun!  

Here is a video I made a couple days ago of my cat cruising on his leash:

Rollie Pollie said:

Hobo08 said:

I would love to have Hobo walk with me! Where do I start? The pet store is a little far to be taking him to try on the harnesses. How do I get him used to i? He is 3 years old, will that be to old?

Click to expand...

Three years isn't too old!  I just started walking my cat outside on a leash and he is eight.  I think it depends on your cats temperament; some cats don't mind it, and others can't stand it.  I was one of the lucky ones!  I wouldn't bring him to the pet store just guess his size; you can always return it.  There are also pretty cheap (I spent $6 on the harness and leash).  Start by putting him on the harness indoors, then add the leash.  GIVE LOTS OF TREATS.  The trick is not to pull (cats can be extremely stubborn), and let him lead you.  Find a nice quiet park and let your cat explore, follow him.  You really can't force them where to go (unless you pick them up).  Once he is more comfortable, you can start to direct him a little bit. I lightly tug the leash and whistle and my cat will follow.  It is more like walk, walk, *hesitate*, walk, walk, *hesitate*.  Just have faith!  I also pick my cat up when he gets too scared of people/traffic/dogs, whatever!  Cats are a lot more cautious than dogs, which is why its harder to walk them.  The quieter the spot, the better.  Have fun!  

Here is a video I made a couple days ago of my cat cruising on his leash:

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Hi there! I've embedded your video as direct links to YouTube aren't allowed.

Rollie Pollie said:

Three years isn't too old!  I just started walking my cat outside on a leash and he is eight.  I think it depends on your cats temperament; some cats don't mind it, and others can't stand it.  I was one of the lucky ones!  I wouldn't bring him to the pet store just guess his size; you can always return it.  There are also pretty cheap (I spent $6 on the harness and leash).  Start by putting him on the harness indoors, then add the leash.  GIVE LOTS OF TREATS.  The trick is not to pull (cats can be extremely stubborn), and let him lead you.  Find a nice quiet park and let your cat explore, follow him.  You really can't force them where to go (unless you pick them up).  Once he is more comfortable, you can start to direct him a little bit. I lightly tug the leash and whistle and my cat will follow.  It is more like walk, walk, *hesitate*, walk, walk, *hesitate*.  Just have faith!  I also pick my cat up when he gets too scared of people/traffic/dogs, whatever!  Cats are a lot more cautious than dogs, which is why its harder to walk them.  The quieter the spot, the better.  Have fun!  

Here is a video I made a couple days ago of my cat cruising on his leash:

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That is awesome! Your kitty is moving along so fast LOL I only worry that he will slip out of a harness. I had a dog that was able to do it, so I could easily see a kitty slipping out. Guess all I can do is try.

Great video Rollie Pollie.  Angel is 8 as well & now walk him too. I couldn't find a harness to fit though. Your kitty looks like a big boy too, where did you find that one?

I tried Petco & Pet Smart. The largest one if I remember right, was 16" around, & didn't fit. I measured Angel & he was about 17-18" around. (chest).  SO, I decided to try one for small dogs. Did not work!!  It was a little wider, so he could feel it more under his arms etc.. & wouldn't move in it, or would only do a weird crawly walk low to the ground. It was actually kinda funny.  He is usually a very laid back kitty, but I got hissed at twice when I tried to put them on!  For now, I just tighten his collar up a bit, so it won't slip over his head, but loose enough to move around it when I put the leach on. He just strolls around the yard anyway, but will feel safer w/ a harness.

Have any of you taken your cats to a wooded area. Or on a bike path with squirels and such. People running and on bikes? Sit on a park bench near waters edge.

I might, when  I get brave.

MeuzettesMom said:

Have any of you taken your cats to a wooded area. Or on a bike path with squirels and such. People running and on bikes? Sit on a park bench near waters edge.

I might, when  I get brave.

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I take my cat to a bike path right by the river quite a bit (it has wooded parts).  At first, he was scared of everything, but once he began to realize that the world isn't out to get him, he hesitated a lot less and trots a lot more!  Usually, I just have to whistle and he follows (almost like reassurance?); although certain people do scare him more than others and he freezes up.  When that happens, I either pick him up or pet him.  Petting him tends to get him moving if he's not that scared.  He is definitely more comfortable when a runner/biker is going the same direction as him than the opposite way.  There is also a fence that he likes to walk along (beside it, not on top)--He does this with buildings too, maybe something to consider?  Also, be careful of dogs off-leash.  Even if they're friendly they might scare your cat...or maybe my cat just hates dogs?  A couple weeks ago, we encountered a friendly dog, my cat freaked out, and for the rest of the walk he gave non-threatening people a full-on defence reaction (tail puffed, hunched back, hissing).  Just be patient and have fun!  It's an awesome experience

Angels mommy said:

Great video Rollie Pollie.  Angel is 8 as well & now walk him too. I couldn't find a harness to fit though. Your kitty looks like a big boy too, where did you find that one?

I tried Petco & Pet Smart. The largest one if I remember right, was 16" around, & didn't fit. I measured Angel & he was about 17-18" around. (chest).  SO, I decided to try one for small dogs. Did not work!!  It was a little wider, so he could feel it more under his arms etc.. & wouldn't move in it, or would only do a weird crawly walk low to the ground. It was actually kinda funny.  He is usually a very laid back kitty, but I got hissed at twice when I tried to put them on!  For now, I just tighten his collar up a bit, so it won't slip over his head, but loose enough to move around it when I put the leach on. He just strolls around the yard anyway, but will feel safer w/ a harness.

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I measured my harness and it's set at 14" for my cat, but it does go a lot larger (to about 20") for the body.  Of course, you want to have the body on the tight side because as everyone knows cats are escape experts.  I got it from Petcetera; the brand is "Cat It" and the size is large.  I hope you can find it and it works for you!