Cat on a lesh!

I was wondering.Is there anyone here who has tought their cat to walk on a lesh outside?
Might seem like a stupid question,but i wanted to know,since later i wanna teach my little kitten to walk in one.
So,anyone,Or at least triyed to do that?

There are plenty of members here that have taught their cats how to walk on a leash. I believe it is best for them to be a certain age before theyy go outside, but I'm not sure of the age. Hopefully someone with more knowledge than me will post.

Here are some old threads about leashes:

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...ighlight=leash

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...ighlight=leash

Hi, from personal experience. Some cats will do this no problemo. Other cats, it will never wash. Of my 8 cats over the years - only 1, (1) thank you, volunteered to go on a leash and actually didn't mind being outside on one...

The rest? They went bananas when put on the leash, or they simply folded up the legs sat down and went on strike. LOL.

It depends entirely on the cat's personality. Do NOT believe they can
be "trained" at an early age only either - Diablo was over 1 year when
he began to use the leash/harness. That cat has

Even if you don't intend to do it regularly it is good to get htem used to a leash and harness - it is so much safer if they have to go to t he vet or on a visit. I use a leash to walk my cats round the garden and hte environment to get them used to the place and the way home before I let them out on their own, around 6 months of age. The younger you put them on the leash the better, and then they will never quite forget it.

Two of mine go out on a leash, but they don't necessarily "walk" with one. We'll go out and then I'll follow them around while they explore the yard. I finally got an inexpensive retractible leash so that I can sit and read while they go off "on their own" and snoop around.

My cat will go out on a leash and harness, but he won't walk like a dog. He kinda wanders around.

I have had a cat that did this though, and one of my friend's cats did as well. For a cat to walk like a dog, they have to pretty much be willing to follow you without the leash. Then you just get them used to the leash, and no problem. Walking a cat.

I do, I do
I walk my stud every day and he loves it. He has his own blog, lol, to tell you about his adventures.Balor's Blog

I started with him when I first got him as a kitten. A ferret harness works well for training with small kittens (not the figure 8 string kind). Your first goal is to just get your kitten used to the harness. Once comfortable with it then walking comes into play. Cats do well because they are creatures of habit. Once you develop the habit of walking a route they will be happy to walk the route.

Early training starts with allowing them to go where they wish. If they head into an area you don't want them to go you pick them up and move back to the acceptable area. I use a clicking sound with my tongue and a very slight double tug when I want my cat to move on from an area. He has learned with repetition that the clicking means move on and he does.
I have no trouble putting his harness on. He is happy to stand still for me because he knows what it means. He never tries to go out his door unless he has his harness on. He knows the harness means he is going outside and he goes right to the door once it is on.

Having a quick clip harness helps with training. Most kittens are not patient enough to stay still while you fiddle with buckles.

My boy does walk like a dog but not at the same pace of course. Its more of a stroll. We do walk along the road.

My dh wanted to walk the cats, so I went ahead & bought a leash & harness for him. It did not work out very well to say the least! He tried walking 3 of the cats & then gave up.

Simon was the only one who actually walked, but he walked crouched down very low on his belly.... like a soldier sneeking up on the enemy. Grady just laid there & ate grass. Jazzpurr went wild when we put the harness on him. He was fine until we put him down on the floor... but then he took off running, hopping & bucking... like a bucking bronco! We took the harness off right away, before he would hurt himself. The leash & harness have been hanging in the closet, untouched since then.

Originally Posted by cagnes

My dh wanted to walk the cats, so I went ahead & bought a leash & harness for him. It did not work out very well to say the least! He tried walking 3 of the cats & then gave up.

Simon was the only one who actually walked, but he walked crouched down very low on his belly.... like a soldier sneeking up on the enemy.

Grady just laid there & ate grass.

Jazzpurr went wild when we put the harness on him. He was fine until we put him down on the floor... but then he took off running, hopping & bucking... like a bucking bronco!

We took the harness off right away, before he would hurt himself. The leash & harness have been hanging in the closet, untouched since then.

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Was this when your cats were kittens? You shouldn't expect a kitten or cat to go walking strait off. There is training involved. I have also walked three of my girls and some clients kittens. It's natural for them to be bothered by the harness if they have never worn one. I start by putting the harness on in the house and allowing them time in it supervised with no leash. Its best to distract them from the harness by playing with them with their favorite toy. Having some treats handy helps too. You want them to associate good feelings with the harness so they get past the initial discomfort. I also leash trained my last shelter cat. She was three when I got her and had been abused by a man, she was terrified of boots. It took some time with her, she had never been outside. Initially she did the crouching tiger in the harness but once she adjusted to it inside, I took her outside. She flew at the end of the leash like piglet on a blustery day. She was totally freaked. I talked calmly to her and took her back inside. The next day I carried her out and held her the entire time outside. I did this several times a day everyday. Eventually she turned into a cat that loved going outside. She didn't care about the leash, it was being outside that mattered to her.
Training is repetition. You need to repeat the same thing over and over everyday,you want it to be habitual for the cat. Bringing a stick or toy on the walk can help motivate the walking part if they can chase something being dragged from time to time. My boy walks like a dog because he already knows where he is going. He has his regular spots to sniff and rub.

Originally Posted by cagnes

Simon was the only one who actually walked, but he walked crouched down very low on his belly.... like a soldier sneeking up on the enemy.

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Pandora hates the harness--she does the same thing, crawling on her belly like a comando, then hides under the nearest shrub. She was two already when I got her, so it's possible she'd have done better as a kitten. She gets so anxious about being in the yard, though, that it isn't worth the trouble--instead, the few times we're down in the yard, we let her out on the balcony so that she can go out and watch us but doesn't feel threatened. Everyone seems to be happier with this solution.

She also hates her kitty carrier though--after figuring out how to open both zippers on the nice mesh one (we pinned them shut then), she ate a hole down the front to get out, and the plastic and metal one is much harder to get her into more than once. When she goes to the vet, which is thankfully only a couple of miles from the house on 25mph streets, there's no way to get her back in the box for the second time, but she'll grudgingly tolerate the harness for the trip back. In this case the harness is very useful.

Be careful, though--the only time Pandora traveled to my parents with us (the trip she learned how to open her zippers), she panicked and managed to wiggle out of what seemed to be a perfectly tight harness and had to be chased a good 100 yards to catch her. I was lucky she didn't run toward the road or into the tall grass behind my grandpa's house.

Pieces,

Joanne

Originally Posted by FuzzyLilBatGrrl

She also hates her kitty carrier though--after figuring out how to open both zippers on the nice mesh one (we pinned them shut then), she ate a hole down the front to get out, and the plastic and metal one is much harder to get her into more than once. When she goes to the vet, which is thankfully only a couple of miles from the house on 25mph streets, there's no way to get her back in the box for the second time, but she'll grudgingly tolerate the harness for the trip back. In this case the harness is very useful.

Be careful, though--the only time Pandora traveled to my parents with us (the trip she learned how to open her zippers), she panicked and managed to wiggle out of what seemed to be a perfectly tight harness and had to be chased a good 100 yards to catch her. I was lucky she didn't run toward the road or into the tall grass behind my grandpa's house.

Pieces,

Joanne

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We usually take the cat carrier out of storage, put a nice fluffy towel in the bottom and leave it open in the living room for a few days to a week before a vet visit. The cats check it out, end up using it for a nice place to nap and it's much easier to get them in come the day of the vet visit.

That doesn't work for her--she very finicky about her spaces. For instance, she loves to claw the two-level kitty condo and to sit on top of it, but she won't go inside it--unless it's a blanket, and then only certain blankets in certain places, she doesn't like small enclosed spaces. She was once transported from Minneapolis to Milwaukee in a cardboard copier-paper box with holes in it (before I had her), and I think that may have made her a little edgy from the sounds of it. It's a good theory, though--I suspect it might work on other cats.

Pieces,

Joanne

We have a harness and a leash for Harley when we take him outside to play in the summer - he doesn't walk on it though - he's too interested in the grass and bugs! He usually lays in the grass and tries to pounce on anything that moves!

I just introduced my 2 kittens to a leash and harness last week. Everytime me and my family would go outside the cats would sit at the door and meow loudly lol. Once they are outside they love walking around. Their favorite thing is climbing up trees lol and chasing leaves. So now i have to make sure i give them their flea meds every mth.

Good luck

Originally Posted by Southernlocs

I just introduced my 2 kittens to a leash and harness last week. ~snip~. Their favorite thing is climbing up trees lol and chasing leaves.

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Oh no trees for us, LOL, I would be afraid I would have to crawl up the tree to get him down. This would not be pretty!

LOL they dont get high up the trees bc they still have the leash and harness on, but believe me they would climb alot higher if i would let them lol

I have trained all my cats and few freinds to walk on leashes ... My record was perfect till Zoey came... she doesnt fit sholder wise is a harness that would be her size , so I taught her to walk alongside me ..lol it is only done in the back yard..

I have to second the idea about cats liking habit. Puppy has become much better at walking since we started going to the same area every time. I put his carrier down in the same spot every time. Every time he walks the same round around the parking lot, and then he tries to explore a little farther.

He also likes his carrier now that he's associated it with outside time. As soon as the harness is on, he walks over and jumps in. We also leave it out permanently, that way he's adjusted to seeing it every day.