cat afraid of the outside?!

uniqms95

uniqms95

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Hey everyone :) so, I've been leash training my cat since she was a kitten and took her out for walks a couple of time and she has absolutely no problem with wearing the leash. The problem is she is terrified of going outside. Every time I take her out she panics, clings on to me, starts meowing really loud and looking for a place to hide. I've taken her out more than once and the same scenario happens although I take her to an empty garden (no people and no dogs) and she still gets scared. So how do I handle this problem? How do I get her no to be afraid?
 
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handsome kitty

handsome kitty

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My cat is happy to walk around the yard and is only really willing to go further when it gets darker.  It could be other cats have left their mark in the garden and she can smell it.  Start small with just going out the front door and letting her smell everything (i think mine is worse than dogs, smelling every leaf on a bush). This will also give her a chance to rub against trees and fences to leave her scent and mark her territory.  It took my cat maybe 6 months before he wanted to leave the yard and explore the neighbors.  I wouldn't be in a hurry to go far.  Sometimes he just wants to sit in the driveway and watch the street or sit on a fence or the neighbors wall.  Still on a good day he will walk down 7 houses from ours and that's the furthest he has gone.  I think some of the ferals have marked beyond that and he respects that it's their territory.

So I think you may be rushing her with going to the park.  I tried that with my cat early on and he wanted no part of the park.  He still wants no part of the park.  He is still learning the sights, sounds and wonders of our area.  Loves the crickets that came out a month ago.  Every season brings something new.  Fall with leaves to chase and spring with new grass to chew.

I have a friend who plays on her phone when she walks her cat because she gets bored.  He goes a little farther than mine but she has been walking him for 10 years.
 
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