Anyone take their kitty outside using a harness?

lunaguy

Luna hasn't been outside for about 15 months now since we made her an indoor-only cat gradually over the course of a year. It really saddens me to think that after spending so much time outdoors for the first 4 years of her life, that she will never have the pleasure of being outside again. I HAVE to get her a harness/leash and take her outside for regular walks or else I may die of guilt.

I will most likely be the laughing stock of the apartment complex, since just about everyone has a cat and I have never seen anyone walking one, but so be it. I'm prepared to be the "crazy guy who walks his cat on a leash," I just want to make sure I do it wisely and safely.

If any of you take/have taken a cat outside using a leash and harness, and have some tips or words of wisdom for me, I'd love to hear them. Things to watch out for, things to consider, pitfalls to avoid, etc. Let me learn from your mistakes.

I promise to post pics when I finally get out there with her. Smile

Mary_NH · Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2005 12:46 pm Post subject:

I take mine out with a leash/harness - the figure 8 ones are the safest.
And yes I get strange looks but that's part of the fun Cool

And with 4 resident cats I have an order
Missy first since she has seniority
Tilly
Zeus
Dixie
and they know who is next in line - it's funny to watch them line up waiting for their turn.

halaroo · Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2005 2:02 pm Post subject:

I take mine out all the time on their harnesses. I never take them for walks though - I've found cats don't like to be led. Luna may just like to hang around on the steps or eat grass (which is what my guys do). Also - be careful of the grass you let her on. A lot of apartment complexes around here use pesticides or fertilizers.

Good luck with that. I'm sure Luna will be a happy girl!

Cassie · Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2005 6:33 pm Post subject:

I never could get Booger used to a harness. She would just hunker down on the floor and crawl on her belly. I ended up using a leash which took her about a week to get used to walking over and around without tangling up. But she would never let me lead her.

eman · Member Joined: 21 Dec 2004 Posts: 340 Location: Canada

i take max for walks everyday. he loves it so much..and looks forward to it. i used to use the figure 8 harness..but he didnt like it..and wasnt comfortable ..he would lick his fur trying to get it off..so i stoped using it and just attach the leash to his neck collar.he runs infront of me pulling me ahead and makes me run Laughing

.
what helped was that i would take the same route every day. also every cat is different..my first cat used to just sit on the grass relaxing. but max loves to run after flies and sniff everything. he has so much energy Mr. Green

at first dont make the leash very long..until the cat gets used to it. becuase what happened with max was that he would run so fast not realizing that he is attached to a leash..and then suddenlly be stopped by it. Shocked

i noticed that when we go in the evening..about 7 or 8 pm, he enjoys it more than if we went out in the day time. maybe because it is not so hot. and he can see more bugs at night Very Happy

GOOD LUCK with Luna..and plz tell us how she does

coppersmom · Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2005 9:37 pm Post subject:

I used to take Copper out in a harness. He is a BIG boy so I just used one of the weenie's harnesses but turned it upside down so it buckled on top. He stayed in it that way. But he didn't really walk around. Just hunkered down like Booger--and ate grass. And then came in and hurled the grass up...so I got tired of that.

nern · Moderator Joined: 14 Mar 2004 Posts: 5042 Location: NY

I take Tiddy outside on a harness sometimes. He never seemed to mind wearing the harness at all...I use a figure 8 one like Mary mentioned. He does'nt really walk though either. He just sniffs around a bit and plops down.

lunaguy · Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2005 9:35 am Post subject:

THANK YOU everyone for your very helpful posts! You guys are the greatest. I'm going to do some shopping for a harness and leash (probably the retractable kind) this week. I wasn't familiar with the figure 8 concept for harnesses, so that starts me off in the right direction.

It's funny how cats react differently to the whole experience. I'm really curious to see what Luna thinks of it. I'm sure it will be an exciting change of pace for her if nothing else. She used to have a favorite lounging spot that I look forward to taking her to again.

I will take some pictures of her out there when I feel confident enough to juggle the leash in one hand, and the camera in the other. Laughing

lunaguy · Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2005 9:48 am Post subject:

Is there a big difference in safety between an h-style and a figure 8 style of harness? The one I picked up today looked like a figure 8 in the package, but when I opened it up, it's actually h-style. Is one easier for a cat to wriggle out of than the other, or are they about the same?

I can't wait to get her out there. Mr. Green

halaroo · Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2005 12:27 pm Post subject:

I use the H-style harness and have never had a problem of them trying to wriggle out of it. But then my cats are really laid back when outside. Just make sure it's snug enough (but not too snug!).

faeriedust1127 · Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2005 4:09 pm Post subject:

I've never tried the figure 8, but yes to what halaroo said, make sure its good and snug and test everything out inside first. Also a warning on plastic snap clips. If Vianne wants her harness off, she knows how to unsnap it herself by squeezing the sides with her teeth to pop it open, so i have to keep her moving or pick her up when we stop. Just something to keep in mind if you had any plans to tie up kitty on a porch or anything. You may want to consider a metal buckle type instead. Good luck! Once you finally get em used to it, its a lot of fun to take them out Smile

I've taken Vianne to the beach, walks downtown, the mall, jogs in the neighborhood Smile

I get some funny looks sometimes, but you'd be amazed how many ppl walk up to me just to tell me what a great kitty i have Smile

Just don't try everything at once or you will freak em out. Around the yard and neighborhood when its quiet, like late afternoon, is a good place to start once they've mastered walking thru the house. Have fun!

luna · Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2005 5:48 pm Post subject:

i take shadow on a harness every so often and she just likes to role in the grass and eat it. i dont do it very ofetn cuz i dont want her pickining things up and giving it to buster- he gets sick very easy

lunaguy · Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2005 11:29 pm Post subject:

Well, after a couple of weeks of searching for just the right harness (I wanted one that had plastic snap clips on both the straps and had to order a Lupine brand online), I finally got Luna sort of used to (or at least not frightened of) having it on. We still haven't ventured outside though.

When I first put it on her, she was afraid to move! She started slowly crawling (for lack of a better word) on her belly, like she was scared to death of having the harness on and was afraid to move. I couldn't help but laugh to myself, because she was really overdramatizing the situation, but I could understand her fear and apprehension. Finally, she started walking around semi-normally and even got her to play a little with me.

Then today, I made the mistake of connecting the leash to the harness. She went nutzo! I got one of those retractable leashes with the big plastic handle... bad idea. I should have started her out with a normal leash. As soon as she felt the slightest resistance from the leash, she bolted as if she were being attacked by something. Her tail puffed up and she started making very frightened sounds. Every time she felt resistance from the leash, she tried to run faster and more frantically away and knocked over everything in her path. She wouldn't let me get near her to disconnect the leash. It was a terrible experience for both of us. Sad

I'm going to get a regular, non-retractable leash and try again. At least if I need to, I can let go of the leash (inside) and she can run away with it trailing behind her.

Will we ever make it outside together? Today, it seems doubtful! Rolling Eyes

lunaguy · Posted: Mon Oct 24, 2005 8:09 am Post subject:

Here's a pic of Luna with her harness. Note her "I'm not happy about this" body language!

halaroo · Posted: Mon Oct 24, 2005 12:26 pm Post subject:

I'm sure she'll get used to it, especially once she sees where she gets to go when she's got the harness on. Definitely try a regular leash. The two leashes I have are about 20 feet long. I just reign them in when I don't want them to get very far from me. Moe is so good that as soon as I tug the leash slightly, she comes trotting right back to my side. Smile

lunaguy · Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2005 10:40 pm Post subject:

Thanks halaroo, that's encouraging. I'm definitely going to keep trying as soon as I get a good leash, within the next few days. I wish that there were some way I could help her get the message that all this is going to eventually lead to a lot of fun for her! Once we get out there together, it will be more obvious to her.