Cats and Collars/ Leashes

[roscoeraccoon]

I have a four year old indoors kitty who has become interested in the outdoors. We allow her to go out and roll around on the porch and sniff the flowers outside with supervision, etc., but other than that she stays inside. She sometimes pushes her limits, but usually is slightly nervous about the outside because there are trash trucks passing by our house often that frighten her. My husband is anti collar because of he doesn't like the appearance of them (she is micro chipped) and he is anti leash because he doesn't want her to become too adventurous and comfortable with being outside. Personally, I think if she wants to explore a leash would be a good idea and most importantly, if she is excited about going outside at all I think a collar will only increase the chance of finding her if she does get spooked and runs in the wrong direction. We'd like to get some advice from you guys on your opinions/ stories about cats and collars/ leashes.

 

[NewYork1303]

I have experience with both. My cats all wear collars all of the time. The idea being they will look like owned cats if they get out. Most people don't worry about a cat without a collar running around. 

We take our cats our on a harness and leash sometimes. Carrot loves this, the other two are iffy about it. I think its good for cats to be somewhat comfortable with the area around your home. This way if they run out they might be able to learn how to get back without getting lost. 

 

[hellocat]

If she likes to go outside, I think a leash/collar would be better for her and you. If your cat get lost, at least others can call you if you have your name and phone number on the collar. Some cats may don't like collar/leash at first, but don't worry, just be patient, give your cat some time to be used to it.

 

[molly92]

I think a harness, leash, and collar would be great. I like having a collar on my cat with a tag that says "Indoor only" so if she ever got out and got lost, hopefully someone would notice and not assume that she belonged outside.

My cat also likes to go outside, but not very far. I take her out on a leash and harness and she's still very afraid of cars and trucks, so she rarely ever wants to go farther than the yard. Mostly she just likes to sit on the porch or in the grass and watch the world.

I do want to point out if it isn't clear that, unlike with a dog, the leash should always be attached to a harness, not the collar, for the cat's safety and comfort.

 

[roscoeraccoon]

NewYork1303--Thanks for your reply.  I had not considered the fact that if she gets out she would know her way back had she become familiar with the area around her house, thats a good point we should think about. I think what my husband is worried about is that if she becomes familiar with going outside she will dash out the door to go exploring without the leash on. At this point she will dash out the door to roll around on the porch, but won't go any further.

hellocat-- I agree with what you're saying. But to be honest neither of us has heard any stories first hand that prove having a collar actually makes a difference in getting a cat found. She is microchipped, so she can be IDed. She actually does have a collar that we have been experimenting with and she has no problem wearing one, mostly my husband's hesitation.

Molly92-- Thank you for the tip, her collar says 'indoor cat, please call'. I think if she were on a leash she probably would just stay in the garden by our porch as well. We don't let her explore there at this point because it would be hard to get her out. If she doesn't have any interest in going far like your cat it might be a good safety net in case a loud noise spooks her and she takes off running.

 

[hellocat]

@roscoeraccoon   Changing others' mind may be the hardest thing in this world. I understand your husband's concern that's a way of showing love to your cat. Try to talk to him, obviously you will not push him if he sticks to his rule. Good luck.