Walking cats outside on cement, pavement, etc...

tarajason

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What kind of an affect will this have on our kittens claws and feet? It shouldn't hurt them in any way should it? I assume it can't be any different from walking a dog. Once it gets warmer we are going to TRY to take our kitties for walks. We'll have to see how well they like it.


Hopefully there are too many other people out walking their dogs at the same time.
 

sar

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I can't really answer your question, as I don't know what effect it would have - if any!

I walk my cats on both grass and paving slabs - but only in my back garden.

Are you harness training them already so that they are used to it? If not, I would strongly suggest that you do - if you do a search, you'll find a number of threads about harness and leash training ('walking the cat' is a good search starting point!)

I would be a little wary of you are going to be taking them out on the street though, as this could be very scary for them and there are numerous hazards; cars, dogs, people.

I don't want to put you off, but these are things that you might want to consider, as cats can and will bolt if they feel scared or threatened. This is why I only walk my cats in my back garden where they are enclosed and feel safer!
 

ryn

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Cement or pavement is just fine, but as Sar pointed out, cats are not really into lively streets.
 
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tarajason

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Thanks guys! It's actually the streets of a mobile home park so they are pretty quiet. I think that Tyson will probably be bigger than most of the dogs there anyways.
 

cearbhaill

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As a groomer in a hot climate I have often seen burnt footpads on dogs. We advise that if it is too hot for you to walk barefoot then wait for it to cool down a bit. I would follow this advice especially with housecats whose pads are not particularly tough.
 

yosemite

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We take Bijou and Mika out for walks on warm summer evenings and they usually end up walking across the lawns so don't actually spend much time on the sidewalk and street.


Yes indeed, do start harness training them so they are used to the harness and leash.
 

kaleetha

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Harness train! very important... I take my kitties to a large and somewhat wild park where they usually end up trying to climb trees and root under logs.

If your cats slink close to the ground with a harness on, though, do be careful that they aren't scraping their bellies raw. This happened to a friend's cat.

Good luck!
 
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