Is it to late to harness train?

missykittystars

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hey there!


I have 4 lovely indoor cats, soem recent additions, 2 male kittens 17 weeks old, named Simba and Star. they are extremely confident and seem to want to have alittle peak outdoors, my area has busy roads but a park across the road,I wont let any of them roam free, through fears of that awful noisey road.

I bought a kitten harness, it has kitty cat printed all over it, and the make is called ''trixie'' i picked this one, as i noticed the clasp method of it fitting together i thought this would be less stressful to take off. i noticed once on the gap between the neck part and belly part is very short, andits taught,theres only 2 and a half inches from the neck part of the harness to the under belly part, is there any other better brands?

so far, i've had it on each of the kittens at different times without the lead attached, Simba doesnt really care, he likes it when I put it on because I give them treats, to assisate the harness with good things.
Stars abit more, like huh??? what on earth is this thing??
hope i'm doing ok so far,

My older cat Missy is an adult cat now, and I would like to give her soem time on a harness, but she seems afraid of it, Do you think I should try? just so she can get fresh air every now and again?

obviously i'd need a bigger harness, think I could also do with a bigger oen for my kittens, hehe, They have vitmins I think thats why there so big.


Could anyone suggest a decent harness?

sorry for all the questions!!
take care.
 

jcat

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I personally would recommend using a dog harness rather than a cat harness, because the former has a extra band that runs down the chest. You can see it here:
 
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missykittystars

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What a lovely proud kitty posing!!!
I'll have a look into this, thanks so much!
 

kaleetha

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I let my cats play with their harnesses.... wiggle it... trail it around... they like that. I don't know if that will help but at least they aren't scared of it!
 

sar

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I'm not sure what the neame of the harnesses we use is, but you can buy it in both Pets At Home and Jollyes!!

I'll try to find out for you of get a picture of one of my kitties in theirs!!
 

hissy

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There is a special harness they make for cats that is like a jacket type of harness. It is pretty cool and it keeps them secure. I need to find the link and post it. They cannot slip out of it, but you need to let them get used to it first by laying it out in the house, letting them play with it, or sleep with it, or whatever.
 

baileynyc

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so you guys take them outside with these harnesses/leashes?
We have been thinking about this............
 
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missykittystars

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Thanks for all the lovely tips!

I'm looking into the types were mentioned and measuring each of the cats to pick a good size.
 

jcat

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Originally Posted by BaileyNYC

so you guys take them outside with these harnesses/leashes?
We have been thinking about this............
Jamie goes outside in his harness just about every day (it's so cold right now that he's basically just sticking his nose out the door, but that's an exception). When it's warm out, I put him on a 12 ft. lead anchored to a "screw" in the lawn, and stay outside with him. Otherwise, we walk around the front or back yard (fenced). He's better on a leash than a lot of dogs, but I've yet to find a harness that's impossible for him to slip out of. I think hissy is referring to a "Safkat" harness. I'm not sure of the spelling, and will have to look for a link. I bought one, and Jamie figured out how to get out of it the third time we used it (he somehow figured out how to open Velcro fastenings), and had major objections to putting it on. I believe it would work for most cats, though.
I'm looking for the above-mentioned link, and just came across this, which really looks good:
http://www.hdw-inc.com/walkingjackets.htm
I found the link I was looking for here: http://www.thepetplace.org/featured.html, www.safkat.com, but the site is under construction.
 

goldenkitty45

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Personally, if they are to be indoor kittys only then I would NOT encourage them to go outside. Once you do, you stand a chance of them darting out the door ANYTIME its open - with or with a harness on.

My first cat was indoor/outdoor and was a couple of years old when I put a leash/harness on him. He was probably the exception as he was easy to train to walk with it on and took to it right away.
 

mybabies

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Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

Personally, if they are to be indoor kittys only then I would NOT encourage them to go outside. Once you do, you stand a chance of them darting out the door ANYTIME its open - with or with a harness on.

My first cat was indoor/outdoor and was a couple of years old when I put a leash/harness on him. He was probably the exception as he was easy to train to walk with it on and took to it right away.
My BEN took to the harness right away but Panther still walks like a crab! LOL!

I too use the dog harness as Ben will suddenly RUN and when he does he "comes up short". If I used a harness with a collar and a strap down the back attached to a middle band it would get him in the throat and possible hurt him.

Hissy you are talking about the feline walking jacket BUT it would STILL have to be pretty tight not to go over a cat's head when a cat faces the leash and you and pulls back!

Here a link to the walking jacket.
http://www.hdw-inc.com/walkingjackets.htm
 

kate_e_did

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Here is a blog of a kitty that goes on walks. His harness is the quick release clip kind and it is loose enough for it to slided from side to side. He never goes to the door to try to get out. He knows he only goes out when he has his harness on. The min. his harness is on he makes a bee line for the door. His owner also uses a retractable small dog lead so when he needs more room to run he can.

http://webpages.charter.net/file/bla...alor_rocks.htm
 

misty8723

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Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

Personally, if they are to be indoor kittys only then I would NOT encourage them to go outside. Once you do, you stand a chance of them darting out the door ANYTIME its open - with or with a harness on.
Actually, you stand a chance of them darting out whether you ever take them outside or not. Mine are rescue cats, so they've been outside. Swanie is always trying to make a run for it. Consequently, I enter and exit the house through the garage with the garage door down. But one of these days one of us is going to forget and answer the door or something, and he's going to be gone.

Consequently, I would like him to know the area around here so if he ever does get out, he can hopefully find his way back. We've been trying to put a harness on him, with no luck so far. He's very wiggly and squirmy and doesn't want anything to do with wearing a harness. If we leave it around for him to get used to, he wants to chew on it, and we don't want him chewing it up.

If anyone has any advice on how to get a harness on a reluctant cat, please let me know
 

randdom

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You don't say how old your older cat is. We attempted to walk marmalade once because he was overweight and the vet recomended it but he didn't take to it at all he was about 6 at the time. There isa chance she might not ever let you.
 

jcat

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Originally Posted by Misty8723

Actually, you stand a chance of them darting out whether you ever take them outside or not. Mine are rescue cats, so they've been outside. Swanie is always trying to make a run for it. Consequently, I enter and exit the house through the garage with the garage door down. But one of these days one of us is going to forget and answer the door or something, and he's going to be gone.

Consequently, I would like him to know the area around here so if he ever does get out, he can hopefully find his way back. We've been trying to put a harness on him, with no luck so far. He's very wiggly and squirmy and doesn't want anything to do with wearing a harness. If we leave it around for him to get used to, he wants to chew on it, and we don't want him chewing it up.

If anyone has any advice on how to get a harness on a reluctant cat, please let me know
Try a harness with plastic clasps, rather than buckles. Put it on him, and then start a play session to distract him, and give him some yummy treats. If you can start with 5 minutes a day, and work it up to about 15, then you can try the leash indoors, and after a few days of that venture outdoors. The first trip outdoors you'll probably have to sit on the ground with him on your lap, until curiosity outweighs fear.
 
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