Hello, it's been a long time since i've been on these forums, I started posting when I got my kitten Jasmine (I actually changed her name from the American spelling to the traditional spelling, unlike the original post) she's a year old now, and soon it'll be a year since we adopted her.
Anyway, I've been taking my cat for walks ever since I got her. She's fully leash trained. However I've run into some problems.
1. Overheating: She is a shorthair. I recently got her a thinner harness so she can stay cool, and her backpack is partially mesh. She still over-heats though!
We then tried to use a fan, to which she tried to attack. This was my fault for not introducing her to the fan before walking- however i'd rather have her scared than in a state of sever heat exhaustion or something. Temperature outside is around 73F / 80F at most. She pants and her ears turn red.
2. Stress/Meowing: She always tries to wriggle away from me and meows in the car as if we're going to the vet, which we're not. I never take her to the vet in her backpack. It worries me. Along walks she does the same until she is let out into a wooded trail, then she will do her thing. I notice though, that she scratches every single branch or log she can come across, and I hope the scratching is just enrichment and not her being stressed. She also has a hard time deciding where to "use the litterbox" outside.
I honestly think I don't walk her enough, she only goes every once in a while because we get busy. However this walk- despite getting exhausted (panting, red ears) and going full freak out mode over the fan we were using to cool her off (I feel super bad for stressing her), she actually made one improvement: getting used to people! someone walked right by her, and she remained calm and didn't try to flee.
Normal walks go like this: We drive to the park, with our dog. We walk around wooded areas away from other dogs. (She will try to hide or run in open spaces unfortunately) I walk her while my parents walk the dog. I let her out for a little while, and if she doesn't follow my parents enough we will let her go in the backpack. Then I think she gets way too hot (even while she's outside of the backpack)
Should I let her go at her own pace? We aren't out for long- and I heard a lot of people's cat's seem to do fine walking with the handler's pace.
Anyway, I've been taking my cat for walks ever since I got her. She's fully leash trained. However I've run into some problems.
1. Overheating: She is a shorthair. I recently got her a thinner harness so she can stay cool, and her backpack is partially mesh. She still over-heats though!
We then tried to use a fan, to which she tried to attack. This was my fault for not introducing her to the fan before walking- however i'd rather have her scared than in a state of sever heat exhaustion or something. Temperature outside is around 73F / 80F at most. She pants and her ears turn red.
2. Stress/Meowing: She always tries to wriggle away from me and meows in the car as if we're going to the vet, which we're not. I never take her to the vet in her backpack. It worries me. Along walks she does the same until she is let out into a wooded trail, then she will do her thing. I notice though, that she scratches every single branch or log she can come across, and I hope the scratching is just enrichment and not her being stressed. She also has a hard time deciding where to "use the litterbox" outside.
I honestly think I don't walk her enough, she only goes every once in a while because we get busy. However this walk- despite getting exhausted (panting, red ears) and going full freak out mode over the fan we were using to cool her off (I feel super bad for stressing her), she actually made one improvement: getting used to people! someone walked right by her, and she remained calm and didn't try to flee.
Normal walks go like this: We drive to the park, with our dog. We walk around wooded areas away from other dogs. (She will try to hide or run in open spaces unfortunately) I walk her while my parents walk the dog. I let her out for a little while, and if she doesn't follow my parents enough we will let her go in the backpack. Then I think she gets way too hot (even while she's outside of the backpack)
Should I let her go at her own pace? We aren't out for long- and I heard a lot of people's cat's seem to do fine walking with the handler's pace.