Walking your cat on a harness: Have you been successful?

Hey everyone - I've posted about this before, and I'd really like to ask for some advice on getting your cat to follow you while on a harness

So far I've read a lot of advice, combined it, and followed it to the letter:

1) I started by making sure my kitten was familiar with the harness. I put it next to his food and water bowls and let him play with it. I left it there for a few weeks.

2) Started with short sessions putting the harness on. At first, he hated it and couldn't wait to get it off. I worked up from one or two minutes, to five minutes, then finally 10 to 20 minutes with the harness on. Every time I put the harness on him, I praised him, petted him, and gave him treats.

3) After that, I attached the leash and let him get used to being restricted by the length of the leash.

4) I finally took him outside. So far we've had three successful outdoor trips, but I wouldn't call them "walks" in the normal sense.

A lot of the advice I've read recommends bringing treats along and offering them at max lead distance to get him used to following me. Problem is, once we're outside he becomes completely uninterested in treats. I think it's because he's stimulated by everything new around him. I figure he'll calm down after it becomes more routine to him, and by then he may be more interested in treats.

In any case, I'm interested in hearing how people are able to get their cats to walk with them or follow them on the lead. Any advice helps, as I've learned it's usually a combination of things that works.

Cheers

I have two friends who each have 2 cats that walk on a leash with a harness.  Both use the retractable dog leashes and let the cats roam and explore.  The cats lead the walk, the humans follow.  How they walk depends on the cat and the territory.  If you repeat familiar ground, the cat will usually eagerly lead you on that course.  One friend's cat trots along very quickly as she makes her nightly round of one block in their neighborhood, and still ulls at a fast walk when they go down their nearby open space "gorge" which is easy for a cat but harder for the humans.  Back in the 1970s, I had a Himalayan who walked on a leash, and we always went to the same place, which was my then-boyfriend's apartment abut a block away up the street.  She trotted right along up there, and when we would go home, she would trot just as happily on the way back.  At first, of course, it was slow progress as she explored everything, but it didn't take long for her to be familiar with the journey and territory.  I thinkyou will find that works with your cat too if you just repeat the same course for awhile. 

Red Top Rescue said:

 
I have two friends who each have 2 cats that walk on a leash with a harness.  Both use the retractable dog leashes and let the cats roam and explore.  The cats lead the walk, the humans follow.  How they walk depends on the cat and the territory.  If you repeat familiar ground, the cat will usually eagerly lead you on that course.  One friend's cat trots along very quickly as she makes her nightly round of one block in their neighborhood, and still ulls at a fast walk when they go down their nearby open space "gorge" which is easy for a cat but harder for the humans.  Back in the 1970s, I had a Himalayan who walked on a leash, and we always went to the same place, which was my then-boyfriend's apartment abut a block away up the street.  She trotted right along up there, and when we would go home, she would trot just as happily on the way back.  At first, of course, it was slow progress as she explored everything, but it didn't take long for her to be familiar with the journey and territory.  I thinkyou will find that works with your cat too if you just repeat the same course for awhile. 

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My cat is the same way. We have a set "route" in the front and backyard which is pretty predictable, I know where she's going to go. That being said, I follow her on the walks! I've taught her places which are "no zones" (under the car, into the neighbours yards etc). Once she knew the "no zones" and figured out that she physically couldn't go there, she stopped trying. 

Bottom line, walking a cat involves the human following the cat !!   

Success depends upon the goal.

My goal was to allow my cat to explore his outdoor territory (our land). We live on 8 acres with natural woodlands on the back half. He's learned to follow our rules: don't go near the street, don't climb trees farther than the lead (12'), and the woods are off limits except in the winter (snakes, ewww).

Every evening his alarm goes off and the begging begins. Such pitiful cries! He's got us well trained. It's been about 5 months and he now has a route. He starts at a small drain pipe to see if the frogs have come out yet, then around the backyard and front yard checking for intruders, climbing 4-5 trees along the way, and finally back to the frog hideout. Unless it is or has been raining. Then, every mud puddle is a fishing hole (paw digs in, paw slings red mud out). You have to drag him away and he wiggles and cries ("just 5 more minutes please") all the way back home.

If I need to go a particular direction, I pick him up to get him started and then he meanders behind. Without doubt, it's the most important part of his day

I walked our last cat outdoors every day for about 13.5 years. That basically consisted of me following him while he wandered, marked his territory, stopped to sniff at things, crouched behind bushes in hopes of catching a bird or mouse, or rolled on the grass. I made sure to always have some reading material with me and used a retractable leash so that he didn't get himself caught under things. At first I picked him up when I wanted to change direction or go back inside, but in time he reacted to a gentle tug on the leash or a "Let's go ....make dinner/look at the pond/sit down, etc.!"

I walk my cat Squeek! every night when I get home from work. I don't know how old he is - he was an adult when he was rescued from behind the Hyundai dealership and that was nine or so years ago. I began walking him a couple of years ago when he showed an interest in leaving the apartment. He goes out on his harness, a 23 foot retractable lead (much better for cats than dogs!) and because he blends in with everything in the dark, he wears a light, too. We go down the stairs, out the front door, and across the lawn, where he sharpens his claws on the tree roots, eats grass, rolls in the dirt, and tries to go into the hedge. Usually we're outside for half an hour or so, but sometimes he wants to explore longer than that. When we come in, he goes right to the kitchen for his slice of cheese or some Temptations. Our walks seem to be good for his mental health. This past winter was hard on him and he didn't do very much at all.

jcat said:

I walked our last cat outdoors every day for about 13.5 years. That basically consisted of me following him while he wandered, marked his territory, stopped to sniff at things, crouched behind bushes in hopes of catching a bird or mouse, or rolled on the grass. I made sure to always have some reading material with me and used a retractable leash so that he didn't get himself caught under things. At first I picked him up when I wanted to change direction or go back inside, but in time he reacted to a gentle tug on the leash or a "Let's go ....make dinner/look at the pond/sit down, etc.!"

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 I have one cat who behaves like this.  And he gets very excited at the sight/sound of his harness/retractable leash(he'll jump into the harness, even).  I have another cat who will walk like a dog on a leash; you can actually take him for walks around the neighborhood, along paths in parks, etc.  He walks perfectly.  I'm hoping my younger guy will eventually be at that level as he has a lot of energy to burn off and he becomes aggressive when we try and restrict his access to forbidden areas(ie; neighbors' gardens).  Clicker training does help; I've just been lazy about it.

Hi I managed very briefly to get my kitten to walk halfway around the block with me on a harness and leash. He didn't like it at first, but he decided it was better than never going outside. After halfway around the block he decided the walk as over and that he would make me drag him a foot and then carry him home. All I did was get him accustomed to wearing and associate it with safety. We have 3 dogs and I put it on him when we leave my room. I just carry him and he feels safer. I never let him down. This way he feels safe outside and cooperates.

If any of the dogs are cat-friendly(and you've done proper introductions/they're well-behaved), you could maybe try walking him with one of them.  We had a great day recently when we brought two of our cats(the ones mentioned above) to a park.  They explored together, rolled in the sand, and then walked on a trail around a lake.  My youngest walked right alongside my older cat, which is what we had hoped would happen.  I should mention that his(younger cat) previous caretakers had dogs and he learned to walk on a harness with them.  

Rewarding him with treats or using a toy(like Da Bird) can be helpful as well.

I walk my cat on the local common. As he doesn't like traffic noise of footsteps on concrete creeping up on him I put him in his carrier until we get to the grass unless just going to the corner shop. I leaverhe door open and if he sees something scary like a crazy dog then I walk him back to the box. Eventually he just feels bolder knowing the option is there. You are right about being too overstimulated to notice treats. What helps is giving lots and lots of praise/snuggles so he will trust you are in control of the situation and you're not punishing them lol He would walk timidly on a short leash when back on our street, then I started letting the leash out (cat-matic) longer and longer each time as he grew familiar/confident with the way home. That's his 'I can totally handle this, home is this way :0' stretch.

I have been very successful with teaching my kitten to walk on a leash, she has come with me to Petco, goes for walks in the woods with me, she has also been to local parks.. She is very open to new environments, and adjusted very well to both going for rides in the car and the harness.. I used these videos to help me, but i got her use to harness when she was VERY VERY VERY small so it went a lot more quickly for me