So I got drunk one night and woke up next to.....

[tracyq]

She's beautiful! You really shouldn't let her out, a harness is a great idea. You might get a butt kicking the first time you try to put her in it, though! ;O) Good luck with her, she's lovely and likely will continue to have suitors even after she's spayed. My Emma (RIP) always had boys looking through the window at her even though she'd been spayed many years prior. Jolene will probably have lots of boyfriends if you have windows low enough for them to admire her from afar!

 

[tjcarst]

Why do you keep saying this when he has clearly stated that the cat will be on a harness? He's not opening the door and letting her wander on her own, he is monitoring her while holding on to the other end of a leash. Tons of people in this site take their cats outside on harnesses. I take my cats outside for fifteen or thirty minutes almost every day in my backyard and I don't feel I am adding any extra danger to their lives.

You mention "Once she is allowed out on a harness, she may want to go out without waiting for you to put on her harness," but that is quite honestly a non-issue as long as he puts the harness on before opening the door. His kitten doesn't have some magical power to open doors just because he let her outside on a harness.

You seem very anti-harness, but it is a great way to let cats explore nature while keeping them safe, and I actually recommend  that everyone tries it who can.

As I said, it is just my opinion.  Nothing more. 

For those of you who have rescued strays and ferals, it would be very hard to curb their desire to go outside. For those lucky enough to get a kitten, I cannot imagine letting it go outside. Again, just an opinion. Since this guy is a new cat owner looking for advice, I figured I would share mine.

All three cats I have/had were forbidden by the breeder from going outside.  I signed a contract saying I would abide.  Contract stipulated:  not allowed outside, declawing not allowed, must be spayed/neutered, if I cannot keep cat breeder gets the cat back or gets to approve new home.

Generations of the cats before mine have not been allowed outside.  Their immune systems may not be as strong, they may not have the instinct to protect themselves, whatever the reason, I just agreed with the breeder.

My particular reason was in my secone post.  Once a cat gets used to going outside, it may zoom out the door one day without the harness.  If you read the forums, there are many posters who are frantically searching for a cat who has escaped outside.  Some of them never find them.  Ever.

If a cat has been outside and is used to being outside, I do not have as many concerns IF you live in a rural area, away from busy streets, mean children/adults, predators such as coyotes, owls large cats, etc. 

I personally am really ticked when the neighbor cats use my flowerbeds for a litterbox, walks around on my cars scratching the paint with their nails.  I do not believe that a pet cat should be allowed outside at all.  There's no need. 

 

[rad65]

Most of the cats that members are frantically searching for and may never find are indoor-only cats who darted out the door and were so terrified at being outside for the first time that they ran away and hid somewhere. Others are so excited to be outside for the first time that they run away to explore the whole world. Desensitizing cats to that would actually lead to less cats running away. If I take my cats outside into the backyard every day, then the odds are that they will stay in the backyard if they escape, rather than running out the door, hearing a strange noise, and bolting away because they're terrified. Also, I know tons of cat owners who have "door darters" that they have never once let outside. Some cats just naturally try to sneak outside when you open a door.

I do believe cats should be indoor-only, or indoor/outdoor if you have an enclosure, but I also consider my cats indoor-only because they are only outside for a few minutes every day with me watching over them. Really, I see what I do as no different than having an outdoor enclosure that my cats can visit, and I don't know of anyone who is against having an outdoor cat enclosure.

You say "[color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]Generations of the cats before mine have not been allowed outside.  Their immune systems may not be as strong, they may not have the instinct to protect themselves, whatever the reason, I just agreed with the breeder," but again, you are talking about keeping them outside. A 15 minute visit to the backyard while leashed and in a harness does not present a single danger that you are mentioning. Why would your cat need to protect itself if you are 10' away at most? How bad would an immune system have to be to break down after such a short period of time? I honestly think we are talking about two different things here. [/color]Your specific objections seem like you are focusing on cats who are not on harnesses, but are instead let outside unsupervised for long periods of the day. It is impossible for my cats to get attacked by predators or walk in someone else's flowerbeds, because they are physically connected to me by a leash.

 

[matts mom]

I also signed a contract not to allow my cat outside...this one with the shelter I got him from.......but with Matt being an escape artist, they are not opposed to him being harness trained, as it has been the only way to deter him from escaping. He knows a level of "freedom" at the end of his leash, and rarely tries to escape any more. When he does it's more symbolic...he goes 20feet and drops to a crouch waiting for me to pick him up and take him in with a scolding. Some cats just have a taste for the outside, and if you don't give it to them in controlled doses, they'll take off through the first open door or window they can find. Matt left through the bathroom window in the spring....broke the screen to get out but thankfully had lived with us long enough to know where home was and came to me a few hours later when I called to him. I'm still afraid to open windows. I have him microchipped and collared, and on Revolution.........it's the best that can be done for a former stray intent on getting out to play. 

I still say that the pretty girl  would benefit greatly from a retractable leash and harness, with her daddy to watch over her for safety 

 

[tjcarst]

The breeder of my first ASH cat mentioned that her cats may not have been exposed to some of the germs that outdoor kitties have been exposed to, putting them at risk.  As I have not researched this idea, I have no intention of letting mine outside, I really don't know if there is any basis for the breeder's statement. 

I have my ASH cats' pedigrees going back through 15 cats (can ask for 30 I guess) on both dam and sire sides, and supposedly none were outdoor cats.  Given the cattery names, I tend to believe that that is true.  I don't know how long it takes for a cat's immune system to be altered by lack of exposure to some things.  The cats I have must have been outside their homes some, as they were show cats, possibly exposed to other cats who may have been outside.  I never really questioned it, not wanting the heartache of a sick or lost kitty.

For the record, I grew up in a rural setting.  The nearest highway was over a mile away.  Tiger was my first cat, my grandmother's cat was his mom, so I knew him from pretty much day 1.  Tiger was an outdoor cat who came inside to be dressed in my doll clothes, pushed in baby buggies, and allowed to sleep with me at night.  The cats we had were not declawed, spayed/neutered, or even had litter boxes.  They helped keep the rodent population in check.

 

[jolenesman]

My initial instinct was never to let her outside because as I mentioned in the original post there are a lot of coyotes in the area.  In addition to that, a neighbors cat most likely had FeLV.  The story behind that is a bit rancorous and involved a catnapping and neglect.  One day I may write it up to share with the board.  I did change my mind after reading this site and the problems owners had with indoor cats that bolted.  This combined with my own observation with my cats behavior convinced me that it would be better to get her familiar with her surroundings and neighbors.  I get along well with them and have no problems if they think walking a cat on the harness is funny.  Also, my place is a smallish 1 bedroom cottage so I want to give her a chance to stretch a bit.  The entrance is a sliding class door that Jolene usually spends some time at trying to attack birds outside.  My gut says that eventually she would try and bolt anyways.

Adding everything up, I think it just makes sense she should familiarize herself with her surroundings.  As I mentioned in my previous post, I'm not at home but helping my mother who is very ill.  Yesterday while trying to get mom out the front door to go to doctor Jolene just casually walked under the wheelchair and out the door.  She only explored a few feet and sniffed around.  I didn't react at all and petted her a few times then after she looked at me asking "now what do I do?"  I picked her up and put her back in the house.  No crisis, no bolting, she was just curious.  I haven't tried to put on the harness again, maybe later.  My next goal is to have her respond to her name consistently.  She does right now about 1 out of 10 times and that may just be luck.

Oh, I've been watching the cat harness videos on Youtube.   Hilarious!

 

[jolenesman]

OH, should have posted a pic while I was responding.  Here she is a top the china cabinet.  She jumps on me and then climbs up my body to my shoulder.  She even looks a bit startled herself.

jolenehigh.jpg

• jolenesman
• Nov 2, 2012

 

[tjcarst]

Very Cute!  Typical cat behavior to try and find the highest spot . ;-)

 

[tracyq]

One thing about taking a cat out on a harness, although they are "tethered" and don't have the strength to break away like dogs can, is that when they are walking around, sniffing and/or eating grass - it is a strong possibility that if there are stray or feral cats in the same area, one or more of them may have FIV, which your cat would be exposed to in that territory. Not necessarily the cat itself, but if your cat is in an area a cat with FIV uses as their litter box... exposure to bodily fluids can transmit the disease. 

If I'm wrong, please correct me!

I'm not a fan of harnesses in general, I know it is a treat for cats to go outside, but I really do not believe in letting them go outside at all. One of my cats likes to bolt outside on occasion and it's terrifying. (for both of us.) He has no idea what to do when he gets out there and freezes. I have multiple sclerosis and he knows quite well when I am having a bad leg day and it's a great chance to run out if I open the back door, he knows Mommy won't be able to go after him very well, let alone quickly! 

 

[tjcarst]

Perhaps a pet stroller would be safer than a harness if you want your cat to go outside: 

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=cat+strollers&tag=&tag=thecatsite