Walking a cat with a harness?

Question

I have a 20 week old kitten and im cautious about allowing her out. There are so many dangers out there and we have a main road not far from us. I have heard people talk about Cat Harnesses, i like the fact that you can keep her indoor but still make sure she has some safe freedom but surely people must get some funny looks walking a cat. Does anyone actually take their cats for walks and if so what kind of reaction do you get from passerbys.

Answer 1

I've never taken a cat for a walk, but I did have a similar harness for my rabbit and it used to attract a lot of comments and stares!

People found it a real novelty and would often approach me to give my bunny some attention. He loved it - he was a people pleasing bunny! If you cat is shy, it might upset her a little, so maybe go out at a quiet time at first?

Answer 2

Some cats will accept a harness and others not ... It can take a lot of time and patience. If you hurry it, you will lose.
You can get a kitten harnes which is softer and nicer on you cat and she will accept it faster. As she gets to her full size you can move to an adult one.
Some people have suggested the jacket, these too the cat can get out of if it wants. The secret is to get her to accept first the harness - loose, then a bit former with lead attached and then correctly fitting. At first she will lead you and then you will be able to lead her - or at least compromise.
As I said some cats will accept it and others will fight tooth and nail .... Good luck

Answer 3

I have a harness for my cat, (she is almost a year). She doesn't particularly like it, but she does love going outside.

I didn't want her jumping fences and possibly getting ran over, so she was going to be an inside-only cat. But she got really bored and interested in the outside. So I bought her a harness. At first she hated it, but now she tolerates it. It is best to start using the harness when they are young, so then they won't mind it much.

Also, I DO NOT take my cat for walks. I only take her in my backyard. It is safer that way...plus cats aren't dogs, they can't and won't want to walk for a few miles. Also, if the cat gets spooked they won't try to run off into the street, if you were on a walk. They would just run to the back door of your house and want to go inside.

Buy your cat a harness and see how they like it. It'll take time for them to get used to it. But they may not get used to it at all. And I would not take my cat anywhere but the backyard when it is on its harness. The harness is only meant for the cat to stay close and contained when outside. It's not a leash.

Answer 4

I have a large cat and routinely put him on a harness when I take him out of my apartment. My lifestyle involves a lot of travel so it allows me to let him out of his carrier on long train, car, or bus trips while still ensuring he cannot interfere with other people or the drivers. He is a dedicated indoor cat, and feels very insecure when outside, but the harness seems to give him a sense of security and connection to me. I live in Asia so he always attracts a lot of attention for his size rather than the harness, as most cat owners in the cities use harnesses to avoid traffic accidents.

Answer 5

I still have a harness for My cat, i used it whilst he was getting his bearings here, people do look quizical at you but then again so what? After the 6 week settle period he was let out on his own to make his mark and patrol his territory.
Cats are great ones for avoiding dangers and problems, they do need the freedom so dont smother him!
Make sure she is chipped, go out with her for a few times with the harness to ensure she is fine, then when you are in the garden watch what she does, given love and attention, all cats know where to come back too.
Good Luck

Answer 6

The sooner you start training her on a harness the better. Older cats will take a much longer time to get used to the harness. My older cat would just flop over and stiffen up. It took months for her to get used to it. My kittens got used to it quite quickly.

I never had people stare at me. I did feel strange walking the kittens the first few weeks but then it was just totally fun. I did have lots of curious kids want to come and pet my kittens.

I would suggest giving your cat a healthy and active life by using the harness. Mine even liked to climb the trees... with the harness I never let them get out of reach.... they loved the trees.

Answer 7

My sister has a nextdoor neighbour that does it, I have even see people take ferrets for a walk, nothing to be ashamed of.

The harness method needs to be implemented from an early age and it really depends if the cat likes it.

I would just try maybe in the garden or somewhere really not far away where it is from the main road and no one can disturb you or the cat and see what happens.

Answer 8

Funny you shuld say this my cat wants to go out but i don't want her to as my other cat got killed by a car about 3 months ago. So today i got a cat harness from local pet store which cst me 5 pound and took her round the back garden. I didn't take her outside the garden though and don't think i will but my neighbour was laughing her head off today at me but i just took it in my stride. Im going to do this 3 times a day for her. I also know now from experience with my other little cat there is far to many dangers out there for cats, so as long as they have plents of food, water, toys and love and walks in the graden with their little lead they will be fine. Good Luck, your cat will love it!!!!

Answer 9

I walk my cat with a harness. I have a relatively large yard, so there isn't many people that can actually see my kitty.

What does my cat think of the harness? I keep it in a draw that makes a distinctive sound when it opens. When I open that draw, she is there like a shot, talking. She is like a little kid who wants candy. From her point of view, harness means "I'm going outside and I can't wait."

Answer 10

We bought a "cat jacket" for our cat. It is best to get a "cat walking jacket" (Google it to find out more) instead of a cheap strappy harness, as cats are pretty wiggly and can escape most strap harnesses. The jackets enclose the cat more completely.

In terms of walking, unless you are great at training animals, it is likely that you will be "following" instead of "leading" your cat. The cat will be mad about the jacket at first (it will probably flop on it's side and refuse to move) but just ignore that and eventually the cat will get up and wander.

We don't usually do extended walks or take the cat out in public (it would probably freak out), but the cat jacket is good to let the cat sniff around and play outside for short periods.

Like I said, the better you are at training animals, the more success you are likely to have with walking your cat---we are pretty hopeless at training, but still get good use out of the cat jacket.