Are you walking your cat on a leash?

My cats are indoors-only. For three of my cats, this poses no problem whatsoever. The fourth is another story.

Meet PAWS alumna, Speedboat McTavish. (Yes, that's her real name. The story behind it is a blog post in itself.)

She loves to walk on her "Come with Me Kitty" harness that she got at PAWS. 

She gets to explore,   

hunt bugs,

dip her nose in things,

and scratch, scratch, scratch.

 

She certainly does not like to have her adventures interrupted by hugs.

She'd much rather put pawprints on her dad's car.

And when she's done with her walk, she has a very specific way of letting me know it's time to go in.

 

For more information on keeping cats safe and happy indoors, visit this page.

By the way—it’s Adopt a Shelter Cat Month at PAWS and we’re offering fabulous discounts on adoption fees for cats six months and older. Tempted? Meet some of the awesome cats at PAWS.

Comments

[Raina]

OMG, so cute!

[Steph]

Speedy!!

[mary]

How did you get her used to it?

[Molly Reagan Axt, Programs Manager]

Honestly, she just took to it. All of my other cats just roll over immediately if they're harnessed up. I'll poke around and see if I can find more information about how to get your cat used to them.

[Steph]

I've heard that you can start by putting just the harness on and having the cat get used to that, then adding the leash and having them trail it around the house for a bit, then try the great outdoors...

[Molly Reagan Axt, Programs Manager]

Looks like this article has some great ideas:

http://www.aspcabehavior.org/articles/116/Teaching-Your-Cat-to-Walk-on-
a-Leash-.aspx

[Investments for beginners]

Walking the cat with a leash sounds safer but mine never liked one around its neck maybe its also because I did not encourage the habit. The next time I bring home one I'll train it early.

[gold buyers oklahoma city]

I've seen people walking their cats with leash but never tried it on my cats. I think even the cats need to be habituated with that leash.