If you do, do all of you use a harness? I'm thinking about getting one for Mini-Man cos I know he wants to go out but I'm a bit on the fence... should I?

My cats were free, once we moved to a house in the open nature. Since they're spoiled animals, and know who feeds them, they'll always return.

Teacher said:

I see a neighbor walk his cat all the time. He also puts him out side on a leash.

Just be careful that your cat doesnt mind it, or he might go crazy on you and kick your ass.

My first cat was a little seal point Siamese and I took her everywhere with me on a leash. We even took her on canoe trips on the French River in Ontario. She loved it.
I didn't have a harness but she would have liked it. If your cat really wants to be outside he probably wouldn't mind a harness too much. Worth a try.

since my (formerly) active farm cats came to the city for the winter i wanted to try walking them and bought a harness for each. the one cat hated it and just stood there pulling against this evil force

the other cat didn't mind it so much but i soon found i was not walking the cat so much as he was walking me it's very different to having a dog on a leash. the cat wants to slink around and explore and does not care that there is a perfectly good sidewalk in front of him.

i think if you start a cat out young he would probably get the hang of it. oh and i was always in trouble after i took him out for walks because he would meow and whine for the next day or two. (a bit of spring fever) another thing - if the cat is scared he can somehow slip out of even the best fitting harness and find his way up a tree before you can blink

The reason I want a harness is that, like Emm says, it's a matter of the cat walking you as opposed to walking a dog, a dog is fine with a collar but on a cat I'd want the harness.

Mini has always wanted to go out, he'll go out into the hallway and make his way down the stairs. However, there's no way that I'd let him out on his own as I live in a populated neighbourhood and he'd be dependent on others to let him in since I live on the third floor. He's fine inside but I'd like to try at least

Ribbed4UrPleasure said:

I wouldn't put ANY pet outside on a leash unsupervised, they can easily get into trouble and choke or strangle themselves.
Mini-Man is called that for a reason, he couldn't kick ANYBODY'S ass

I've never walked my cats, but there was a guy who used to live in my condo complex who used to walk his cat. He used a harness, and the cat actually seemed to like it.

I walk my Gazzy when its warm out she loves it, when she sees me grab the harness she runs to her leash

meggy said:

Awww That's what I want for Mini, I want him to be able to come with me when I walk Uzie.

how old is he? If you get a harness and he freaks a little wearing it let him wear it around inside for like an hour or 2 for a few weeks to get use to it before trying to take him out.

Once you do take him out make it as happy and positive as possible perhaps taking a well loved toy and some treats will help him stay calm and enjoy being out on the harness

meggy said:

He's 3 years old now, I think he'd be happy to be outside enough not to care about the harness. He'd love to be out with the dog too I think, as well as meet some other dogs (he thinks he's one himself )

Aww thats how my Gazzy is like when the dog starts to bark at someone outside she runs over and starts meowing right along

meggy said:

Awwww She and Mini would be a match made in heaven - two cats who think they're dogs

No, my cat walks me

my cousin did
she took that cat to Jämtland with her every summer and walked him around the farm to do his business.

ZombieKitten said:

I saw this tv programme, once, where this person had a RABBIT on a lead. Took it for hops and everything.

onenitealone said:

hops!

Teacher said:

Please don't. I work at a vet and everytime I see cats with harnesses, I just cringe.

No only leash and collar. Cat refused 2 leave the house then when she did and I took my daughter 2 nursery the crazy cat would follow us then refused 2 move from the nursery until my daughter left
I had 2 options:
1: let her sits on nursery steps until my daughter time was up and risk someone taking her.
2: get a leash and just take her with us.
Option 2 was easier, took her six months until she got bored then she became independent and done her on thing. Now she is fearless and independent she doesn’t have the nick name of “demi the ninja” kitty 4 no reason..

estelle81 said:

Why??


Isnt it safer for the cat to be on a harness and leash that is properly used, than walk around on its own where it can easly get hit by a car, stolen or worse?

meggy said:

It's easier to put him/her in a cat carrier so he/she can't run away, get run over, be stolen or be mauled by a larger animal. Harnesses and leashes don't protect cats and many of the cats that come into our clinic on harnesses or leashes are being held, so what's the point in the leash/harness if he/she is too freaked out to even walk on it? Many cats are too delicate for harnesses and leashes. My cat hated outside. I used to put her on the steps of my house and she would just sit there, stare at the grass and then haul ass back inside. The only time I took her out of the house after that was to go to the vet for her shots or to drive the 2 and a half hours home (I was in college at the time), and she would go in her carrier with her blankets and cat toys. She was a princess and royalty doesn't walk on leashes or harnesses. She was pretty spoiled. I miss my kitty. Oh, and please spay and neuter your pets. Thank you.

estelle81 said:

That doesnt give them excercise, and would go agenst the sole perpose of the walk. as far as being to delicate.. as long as you have the proper size harness and you are not yanking them around with it, what is the differance in walking a cat on a harness and leash as oppsoed to walking a small dog like a Tea Cup Chiuahua on one?

Theres a huge differance between walking a happy cat on a leash and a scared cat, and How many cats are actualy calm and content when taken to the vet?

meggy said:

Why would you walk a cat? It's not a dog. They make climbing posts and other cat toys for them to exercise with. I've only met one person who was successfully able to walk their cat on a leash and I've been working with animals for 11 years. I've worked with vets and other technicians who practiced for 20+ years who didn't see the point in cat harnesses. I've seen cat's get their collars caught on things and almost strangle themselves, which is why someone was smart enough to make cat collars that just break apart at the clasp when they get tugged on really hard. A harness is a lot harder to get out of and can potentially be more dangerous if the cat gets caught on something. I've had several cats who love the vet. I've seen so many tiny dogs with head injuries and broken bones, because they were stepped on by the owner during a walk or because they were dropped or sat on (not a big fan of tiny canine breeds) The only cats I've known to want to run away and thus have issues of being mauled, run over, or becoming lost are cats that aren't neutered/spayed or cats that aren't used to being handled anyway. Happy cats go outside on their own and come back. Cats are more independant than dogs, so I don't see the necessity of walking them on a leash, not even for exercise. Just my

my cats come and go as they please, and at night i call em in

eraclito said:

i do the same

estelle81 said:

Hello, my name is Shelly and I've successfully walked many cats on leashes for way more than 11 years.

And by the way, Meggy is the Cat Whisperer.

Vets don't always know what the're talking about. Meggy lost one of her orphans because the stupid vet refused to treat a urinary blockage and said it was a side effect of the antibiotic that he was on. Didn't find out why he couldn't pee until he died.
Another one said to have our dog put down because he ripped kleenexes when the vet had us wipe his nose and he nipped at it. Vet said he was aggresive and was dangerous.

These were two seperate Vets in two different offices in two different cities.

eraclito said:

I had cats that we let out like that, still have one of them but we don't let her out without a leash any more because where Meggy and I are living we have a lot of predator animals- foxes, coyotes and eagles around. We've even seen huge wildcats.
Plus both our doors go right out onto a parking lot so there's that too.
And the medical students at the Uni steal them for disection projects.
Two of my favorite cats went out and never came home. They were used to going out all the time too.

Cats can learn to walk on leashes, they're a hella lot smarter than people give them credit for.

Meggy walked all her pets that she could, even her pet rats and mice.