How To Find A Safe Spot To Walk Your Cat On A Leash

[ashley3496]

We’ve been leash training our cat for a while now, and we took her outside on the leash for the first time last week. We just hung out in the grass right outside of the apartment, and within thirty minutes, we saw three different off-leash dogs. She likes dogs when they’re nice to her, but I have no way of knowing if the dogs would be friendly. Our apartment complex doesn’t allow off-leash dogs, but that’s clearly not stopping them. Luckily, nothing happened, but I’m worried something might happen in the future. I know that most likely none of you can recommend specific spots in my area, but in general, what do you think are the safer spots for walks or just hanging out outside?

 

[Kieka]

My brother had a dog who couldn't be near other dogs, so I've had experience with finding the off spots to take animals. From that experience, what we typically did was go for a walk along the route on the same day of the week and time the week before. Then we could get a feel for the traffic level and who else was there at that time/place. If it was good we'd then take his dog along that same path, time and day of the week. It didn't prevent sudden road crossings or holding the leash tight when something unexpected came but it did generally lead to more peaceful walks.

I found that along bike trails was particularly good, because a lot of people avoid them with dogs. Parks just after a sports league finishes up for the day are generally fairly quiet for about an hour. A lot of it is just paying attention to the ebb and flow of people and picking off times. Meal times, just before people come home from work or just after kids will go to bed.

 

[ashley3496]

My brother had a dog who couldn't be near other dogs, so I've had experience with finding the off spots to take animals. From that experience, what we typically did was go for a walk along the route on the same day of the week and time the week before. Then we could get a feel for the traffic level and who else was there at that time/place. If it was good we'd then take his dog along that same path, time and day of the week. It didn't prevent sudden road crossings or holding the leash tight when something unexpected came but it did generally lead to more peaceful walks.

I found that along bike trails was particularly good, because a lot of people avoid them with dogs. Parks just after a sports league finishes up for the day are generally fairly quiet for about an hour. A lot of it is just paying attention to the ebb and flow of people and picking off times. Meal times, just before people come home from work or just after kids will go to bed.

That's a good idea! We actually live right next to a trail, so it would be easy to check on how busy it is during different times of the day.

 

[Furballsmom]

I remember another member tried to take his cat to a park, and that experience didn't turn out so well because the cat was too scared of just about everything. I think it was too big an expanse for the cat to mentally handle, at least that particular cat.
I can't hardly beat Kieka 's advice but, since every cat is different and has different ways of looking at things I thought I'd mention a park in the early dawn possibly...

 

[elgecko]

Again Kieka 's advice is great.

I have a few locations that are far from the general populous that on work days are lightly used. Weekends can be pretty busy.

Where I live all dogs are to be leashed, but as many of us know, not many dog owners seem to follow this rule.
I do a lot of hiking, and I'd say that 80% of times I've run across dogs on a trail they have been unleashed. Most owners will leash their dogs when they see you on the trail.
Now that I've been taking Buddy on hikes with me this is a greater concern of mine.

First thing I did was make up some signs. I place these at the trail-head I'm hiking at and forks in the trail.
This helps for anyone that is following in your path. Those coming from the other direction obviously will not have seen the signs and have no idea you are out with a cat.

I always take Buddy out with his backpack. That way when I spot something I can hopefully get him back into his backpack and away from danger.

Here is a video of me letting him out of his pack. After he's out I always zip everything up but the top when I place it back on my back. This way I can as quickly as possible get him back in the pack if need be.


Earlier last week I made a mod to his backpack to more quickly and easily get the pack off my back.
Before to fully remove the pack I would have to let go of the leash by switching hands.
Now I placed a buckle on one of the shoulder straps. I can unclip the buckle and remove the pack without ever having to worry about the leash.

 

[Galixy]

I really wouldnt walk a cat...... They arent like dogs.... Cats are allowed to roam around and wont get lost, most of the time. Cats might feel threatened by this feeling like they are a lazy cat who isnt allowed to be wild and free. I know walking a cat gives them a better chance of not getting flees ticks sicknesses or getting dirty but you should always check your cat anyway. Letting your cat roam around also gives them a for of dependence and if they ever get lost they will know their way home. Besides most cats stay in their own territories and wont get lost.

 

[Dacatchair]

This is a great question and I am appreciating the suggestions.

I live with a juvenile Savannah who will happily and confidentially trot and run on a leash for a mile or more away from home, but who is terrified of cars, passerbys, and maybe dogs too.

We have yet to run into a dog...

I live a 1/4 mile from a really nice trail, and dogs are not supposed to be off leash there, but even a dog on a leash is likely to scare him. I can carry him to the trail in a cat backpack to contain his panic when the rare car drives by, and I have it with me to pop him back into if I hear something coming. But I know from having a couple cars go by before I could get him in this doesn't always work.

We have yet to actually encounter anyone else on the trail, but talking to someone 20 feet away on the road while he was in his cat backpack had him making threatened cat noises, and he hides from visitors, so I am thinking he is not going to enjoy meeting people on he trail. I have been trying to spend 1/2 an hour a day with him sitting 30 feet from the road in various locations, so he can get used to things he might encounter on a walk, but as I am in a sparsely populated area, usually nothing at all goes by and learning opportunities are few and far between.

As he tries to climb almost every tree on the way home, I am thinking he is probably going to try and go up a tree if something scares him and that it would be a good idea to rig up some kind of a thin bungee cord to make sure his retractable leash handle is clipped to me as he can sometimes yank this out of my hand, and carry along a couple lightweight 10 by 10 piece of plastic net and string in case he ever ends dangerously far up a tree. That way I could quickly rig up something to break a possible fall.

 

[MistyRino]

Please walk your cat, letting them roam can cause them injury, and they could eat a deadly plant too, or eat a poisoned rat/mouse/bird/etc, someone could steal the cat, or some people even kill random cat's, plus, all cats are curious, so your cat could wander too far, and get hurt by Mother-Nature, but most common, get hit by a car, or killed, OR took to a shelter/pound. Please walk your cats, it's safer, if you are worried about your cat not having enough dependence, cats already are independent, and I mean it, most cats are already independent-If you need help with your cat being to clingy this may help-
How to Fix Clinginess in Cats: 10 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow

Even, though, most cats don't get lost, we said "most" and your cat MIGHT be the one to go wandering off to far and, click, Fluffs lost.

Please walk your cats.