My Cat Loves the Outdoors. Can I Tether Him?

So, I have a cat who loves the outdoors. I am currently typing this while he is playing with sticks and leaves from outside. He seems very happy. He doesn't really do this in the house. I want him to have a catio, but unfortunately don't have the money for it and plus, I live in a rental home and I want him to have access to it almost 24/7. Can't go outside at night when everyone is asleep.

Right now, he goes outside on a leash and harness. I use a dog retractable leash and hook it to the cat leash to give him some lengh. He only explores the backyard and the gated front patio. I go out with him and of course, supervise him.

So, I was wondering if I can buy one of those dog tether thingies you put in the ground and hook him up. I'll be out there to supervise him. Maybe...30 minutes twice a day. Is it ok to get one of those?

I've tried that, and it didn't work. Mingo climbed trees catching the tether in the branches. He also got tangled up in the shrubbery. If you don't have any obstacles that your cat can get caught in, it might work.

My Sebastian doesn't climb trees, but I do have another of shrubs and bushes. Guess it will be a bad idea.

My mother does that with her cat. She has a washing line that runs the length of the backyard and she clips the end of the leash into a carabina that is hanging from the line. The leash is always off the ground and there are no trees or bushes in the way, so no danger of the cat becoming trapped.

BUT, she only does this when they are in the room over-looking the back garden and the cat has managed to get up onto the shed roof and has tried to climb the fence a few times.

I think it would be OK for short periods of time while you are there, but it would be dangerous to leave him unattended.


My mum's cat, Dusty.

I would NEVER tie out a cat.  It has too much potential for danger.  And thank you for at least having your cat on a harness -- leashes attached to collars should NEVER be used on cats, only cat-specific figure-8 harnesses.  Cats should only be outdoors under human supervision, unless you have a secure catio environment.  You can buy modular enclosures for cats that would be no problem in rental situations.  Look them up in your computer's search engine or ask Siri or Cortana or whomever your virtual assistant might be.  

I wasn't going to permanently tie him up, only for 30 minutes to an hour. He will always be under my supervision while outside, always is.
I would love to get him a cat enclosure, but I can't afford it right now.

SebNari96 said:

I wasn't going to permanently tie him up, only for 30 minutes to an hour. He will always be under my supervision while outside, always is.
I would love to get him a cat enclosure, but I can't afford it right now.

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My cats do not go outside & they never will, but your plan sounds sort of ok though I wouldn't do it. My fear is that your cat could somehow strangle himself.

Tarasgirl06 said:

 
I would NEVER tie out a cat.

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I wouldn't tie out a dog, either.  I've always believed that tying out a dog can make them mean.

(OK, there's room for debate, there, but I'm making a point.)

I think you'd be better off building a run or a kennel.  It's more expensive but it's better for the animal, be it a dog or a cat.

Everybody, here, knows what a "catio" is.  Right?

What's a catio but a kennel for cats?

Why not build a catio?  You could probably buy what you need from Home Depot, etc. 

I wouldn't do a tether.  I one time tried to leash train one of my cats.  He was so complacent, until the first bird and he ran so fast that when he hit the length of leash, he spun.  I'd hate to see what would happen on a tether if a leash and harness caused such trouble.

He doesn't like going out. I've tried to take him for walks, but he fears the front yard and beyond. He will either try to go back into the house through the garage, or come around the house. My house as a front patio with a gate and that's the only way to get to the front door. Anyway, he is literally pulling trying to get to the gate. You can't even pick him up to carry him back inside. I had my mom hold his leash and I got the carrier and brought it out. He went inside willingly and he hates the carrier.

We regularly tether Makena outside with us. We have a large patio and we grill and eat outside anytime the weather permits, Makena always joins us.

I don't have any pics of him lounging on the finished patio - but he was tethered out with us through most of the construction.....

Makena can't level gravel, cut and lay bricks or do masonry work - but he can supervise fairly well....

Makena gets tethered by our pond some evenings while my wife and I sit and talk or read.

Makena enjoys these times outside, he relaxes in the sun, plays with leaves, eats grasshoppers or just sits quietly with us. We do not leave him out unsupervised, someone is always with him. Makena is very comfortable on a retractable lead because he gets walks or hikes nearly every day. We use a 26 foot retractable lead.

We found that having the tether up off the ground a few feet helps to keep the line from getting tangled - we have a ring and swivel on a pole that the handle of the retractable lead clips to. We make sure he has water and easy access to shade. Makena loves when we start a fire in the fire pit - he knows we will be sitting out for many hours. One night we sat out talking till around 1AM - Makena eventually curled up in my lap and fell asleep.

Makena get frustrated if his line gets tangled around a chair or bush, but with gentle encouragement he is learning how to untangle himself. We have been working on this for two years and he can figure out how to get untangled about 25% of the time.

I've been taking my cats to my mother's house for years, where they get to enjoy a backyard that is almost (not fully) enclosed.  They go out on leash and harness.  I do sometimes feel a bit silly following a cat around the backyard holding onto his harness, but it's really the best option.

I've tried tethering, but there were just too many problems.  It gets tangled up in everything, and if the cat pulls on the tether he panics and usually gets out of the harness in short order.  And it takes just a second for a cat to go chasing a bird, rabbit, squirrel, or chipmunk.  When they are after prey, they run FAST.

I've been thinking about enclosing the yard or investing in a catio, but in the meantime this tent works well:


They had problems with it at first, but now they enjoy lounging in it.  You still have to supervise but don't have to watch them every second.

Here's a link to our former home's catio and barn compound.  You can also get lots of pictures and ideas from the site's other posts.

http://catioshowcase.com/2009/01/jamakas-mojave-desert-cat-compound/

It's a great place to go to see the wide variety of safe enclosures for cats, of all sizes and budgets!

Caspers Human said:

I wouldn't tie out a dog, either. 

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Me either. I think it's barbaric.

In my experience, dogs that are tied up bark more. Neighbors are more likely to complain if your dog barks too much.
I also think that they are more likely to snap and lash out at people who approach the boundary.

Dogs want to explore and socialize with people and other dogs. A tied-up dog can see the world going by, all around them but they can't be part. That definitely has an effect on the dog's personality.

We always kept our dogs in pens with fences or bushes on three sides.
A dog sees a place like that as a den... kind of like his own personal clubhouse.

I think that tying up a cat will have a similar effect.

Cats like to sleep in boxes and laundry baskets for the same reason that dogs like to sleep in a dog house. It's their own, personal "clubhouse."

I think there are enough similarities between dogs and cats that we can draw a parallel.

If it's better to keep a dog in a kennel, then it should also be better to keep a cat in a catio. Right? [emoji]128522[/emoji]

Bengalcatman said:

Makena can't level gravel, cut and lay bricks or do masonry work - but he can supervise fairly well....

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• bengalcatman
• Nov 5, 2016

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• bengalcatman
• Nov 5, 2016

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• bengalcatman
• Nov 5, 2016

Makena gets tethered by our pond some evenings while my wife and I sit and talk or read.

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• bengalcatman
• Nov 5, 2016

Makena enjoys these times outside, he relaxes in the sun, plays with leaves, eats grasshoppers or just sits quietly with us. We do not leave him out unsupervised, someone is always with him. Makena is very comfortable on a retractable lead because he gets walks or hikes nearly every day. We use a 26 foot retractable lead.

We found that having the tether up off the ground a few feet helps to keep the line from getting tangled - we have a ring and swivel on a pole that the handle of the retractable lead clips to. We make sure he has water and easy access to shade. Makena loves when we start a fire in the fire pit - he knows we will be sitting out for many hours. One night we sat out talking till around 1AM - Makena eventually curled up in my lap and fell asleep.

Makena get frustrated if his line gets tangled around a chair or bush, but with gentle encouragement he is learning how to untangle himself. We have been working on this for two years and he can figure out how to get untangled about 25% of the time.

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I have a spare bedroom, grille, cold beers, and a large outdoor enclosure, very similar terrain, plenty of sex stones (and a way to move them).  Can you come over for a week or two and bring your patio construction skills?
That patio is AWESOME!!!!!

My girl likes to be on a lead and harness. When I tethered her so she could be outside in the garden with me, she rolled and got out of her harness. She now only goes out with me or my boys holding her leash.

BassCat said:

I have a spare bedroom, grille, cold beers, and a large outdoor enclosure, very similar terrain, plenty of sex stones (and a way to move them).  Can you come over for a week or two and bring your patio construction skills? :lol3:

That patio is AWESOME!!!!!

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Sex stones?

Have you heard of kittyklips?http://www.kittyklips.com/  May be cheaper than an enclosure. You make them yourself. 

This may not be super sturdy and Id keep an eye on kit but you could add less flimsy mesh. I dont know if you have these in U.S or how much.

https://www.harrodhorticultural.com...html?Aff=GPL&gclid=CNWVnoLaodACFYu4GwodweUFXg

I dontt hink tethering for a short time is too harsh. Ive done it while I put the washing out or if hes asleep in the garden furniture. At the moment the garden has a weak spot so I have to watch him like a hawk once hes back in the back garden after his outside walk.

I definitely say do not tether to ground level and not on a collar and lead, comes off easy, gets tangled. The type of harness the beautiful Makena is modelling is very safe and withstands rolling and thrashng in panic or downright objection. In all circumstances enclosure harness or whatever Id make sure you were within easy reach so you can supervise. 

My apols you have a lovely bib type harness too. Lovely kitty!

BassCat said:

I have a spare bedroom, grille, cold beers, and a large outdoor enclosure, very similar terrain, plenty of sex stones (and a way to move them).  Can you come over for a week or two and bring your patio construction skills? :lol3:

That patio is AWESOME!!!!!

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My back is still sore from ours! AND I am never doing a another project that involves cutting so many bricks - what a pain that was!