What is the best way to teach a cat to use a leash?

[gracethecat]

I was thinking about teaching my cat to use a leash. I have many questions though, harness or collar? Should i even put my kitty on a leash? Can i take a cat on a walk like you would with a dog? I have many questions, but the most important thing to me is that my kitties are happy!

 

[molly92]

Definitely use a harness to attach the leash to rather than the collar, so the kitty's neck doesn't get pulled on. A collar with an ID tag is a good idea to have, though, in case your cat is creative enough to slip out of the harness during a walk.

This article is an overview on how to leash train your cat:
[article="22430"]Harness And Leash Training For Cats  [/article]
I recommend it! For me it hasn't been like walking a dog. We mostly just explore the yard at my cat's pace (I only started a few months ago and she's still too scared of cars to go all the way to the sidewalk!). It takes a while for a cat to get used to the sensation of wearing a harness and having a leash, but once they realize it means outside time they're usually pretty okay with it. My cat has learned that when I tug on the leash and say, "no," she's heading for a place she's not allowed to go and changes course. She is not very active at all, so sometimes we just go outside and lay down in the grass for half an hour. But she really enjoys it! Since we started going outside regularly, she gets upset and meows at me if it's raining or too cold and we don't go out.

I think there are cats that will go long distances with you on a walk, but it just really depends on your cat's personality.

 

[gracethecat]

Thank you so much. I definetly appreceate the link!

 

[NewYork1303]

One of my cats loves going out for walks, the other is terrified of the outdoors. It's important to introduce the leash and harness slowly.  Some cats will play like the harness is killing them at first. My youngest cat (who also doesn't like the outdoors) still isn't used to her harness. I personally recommend the walking jacket kind of harness. These are comfortable and challenging to escape from. 

IMG_2435.JPG

• NewYork1303
• Jan 31, 2016

This is Carrot in his harness. It is this one 
No harness is escape proof of course, so be very careful. With this one, cats can escape if you hold the leash tight since they can then back out of it.

 

[gracethecat]

The cat that I was wanting to use the harness was Gracie, she is indoor/outdoor already, so she isn't afraid of the outdoors and she explores unsupervised. The reason that I wanted her to learn to use a leash was because I thought it would be awesome to have my kitty go on "dog-walks."
By the way, carrot is beautiful, and I can see were she got the name from!