Do you/ Would you walk your cat?

[catbehaviors]

Hi everyone! I thought it would be fun to do a poll on cat walking.

It would be great if you answered the poll/ shared your cat walking stories! I'd love to hear about your adventures.  

 

[furmom101]

I voted I would be interested! Out of my four, three would be traumatized. lol They've been indoors since they were only weeks old.

My newest who was a stray I think would really enjoy it!

 

[greycat2]

I have/had 3 cats that have walked on a keash outside - the others probable will be unsure (1 for sure would be traumatized).

2 of the 3 have since passed on from age related illnesses but took to the leash well.

Our current leash trained kitty is also our current youngster - Smudge. He loves the leash as he sees it as being able to go outside for fresh air and extra exercise. He loves sniffing the yard, watching the birds and lizards and seeing the sights in the neighborhood.

 

[betsygee]

The poll doesn't quite fit my circumstances.  I've only walked a cat to get them used to a new home/new surroundings.  I can say that only two out of seven were "okay" with it and could become walkers.  Two more tolerated the harnesses because it let them be outside in a new place and the other three, there's no way they would tolerate being in a walking harness.  

 

[MoochNNoodles]

I voted that I'm not interested.  I live on a fairly busy country road.  I don't want these girls ever getting the idea that it's safe for them out there.  My neighbor's have barn cats and one used to visit our yard every day for not quite a year. Then he stopped coming.  I can only assume why.  Granted; on a leash they wouldn't be near the road.  Its them getting the idea of going outdoors and sneaking out or escaping that makes me not want to try it.

 

[Winchester]

Our cats were leash-trained and yes, they went outside for walks in the yard. BooBoo and Ms. Pepe used to fight over who got to go outside first. As soon as we got the leash out, they were on the steps, yelling at us...."me! me!" "No, ME! I'm going!" "Mom, me!" As I was trying to put a collar on one of the cats for the leash, the other one would be trying to move the cat out of the way, so I'd put the collar on that cat instead. They really loved going out. Bugs! Grass! Weeds! All kinds of good things to fight with! And eat! And the whole time I was out with one cat, the other one would be at the front door or back on the catnapper in the bedroom window, yelling at me to get back inside so that she or he could take their turn being outside.

So then we bought another collar and leash and both Boo and Pepe could go out at the same time. But then Banshee was stuck in the house and she was yelling at us. So we bought the third collar and leash and dealt with three of them as best we could. We'd go out for a good hour or so at night when the weather was nice. And it got to the point where, if we made a move to the drawer where their collars were kept, they'd start going crazy because they knew we were going outside.

As they got older, though, we stopped. None of them have flea meds or anything and we realized it was safer for them to stay in the house. I took Banshee outside, but she always stayed in my arms. She'd smell the leaves and the flowers as we walked around the yard. I even took her outside when it was drizzling; we'd go out with the umbrella and she was always fine. When it started to get cold, I'd wrap her in her blankie, but we'd still go out. Until the first snow.

Now, with Muffin, she has her own pet stroller. But I can't push the stroller in our yard, it's too hard and bumpy. So I put Muffin in her carrier, put the stroller in the trunk of the car and we go over to my sister's house. She lives in town and Muffin and I will stroll on the sidewalks through town. Muffin loves being in her stroller. She sits up inside and watches the world go by. People stop us and tell her how pretty she is and she loves all the attention. I keep the stroller in the computer room and I will often find Muffin cat-napping in her stroller in the afternoons.

 

[nbrazil]

I fantasized taking out the rescue girl, even got a leash and "collar," (which I have used on my balcony - as a street rat, she could spook and possibly jump) - but as much fun as it would be for both of us, I realized I didn't want fleas (or the flea medications).

I have "walked" her in the hallway of the Condo, so I did see if she would go out into the snow (when I was trapped home) so I could take a picture of her in it and give her something new in her life. She refused to go through the door (and I wasn't going to carry her out). Ah well.

 

[coco and rose]

I am taking my two girls to the park (of course with harness & leash) because i live in a small apartment, so I feel the park does add to their overall happiness. (The cats in my family had never needed to be taken to the park, because my family had a big house with a garden, so they had plenty of space.)
So my girls at first were a bit unsure, But because i take them in the cage they often sleep in, if they are scared, they just quickly run to hide there. They love it & get so tired that they need a very long nap soon after. Also, of course if's a park where all animals have to be on a leash, so that means my girls are relatively safe. Having said that I definitely need to keep an eye on them at all times while at the park atm.
* Note: I do feel rather ridiculous with my two cats in the park, but what the hell, I love them & they love going.

 

[catmomma627]

I said no, mainly because I do not want my girl to get in the habit of wanting to go outside, where she tries to escape when I open the door. I adopted Zoey declawed and I would not want her to get out and not be able to defend herself.

 

[allenkm]

I had to say no because my guys are indoor only and are both very afraid of going outside.

 

[jin xiong lor]

I've tried before(only a good 3 to 4 months) and have not been successful. I've given up for a while now as I'm afraid to stress my cats too much. I live in an apartment sooo , its very rough to go through the process of getting by people to get out. My cats are just too shy of every new moving thing or bring they see. So I'd rather let them just stay safely indoors, all calm, cozy, and warm. (: It was a fun trial though!

 

[lyrajean]

Aya likes human company for her walks, but will take herself out if we won't or can't go with her. she is happiest and feels safest with one of us there. Of course this means we stand by as she climbs very tree and investigates everything of interest to her. She was not harness trainable as a kitten so no leash. and we don't let her out after dark. right now its winter and we don't likes cold wet toesies, so we've been 99% indoors for a few months going stir crazy.

 

[jcat]

Our last cat went for a walk in a harness/leash combo every day for well over 13 years, even in the snow or sub-zero temperatures. While I'd love to leash train Mogli and take him outside, he's got so many allergies that I keep his vaccinations to an absolute minimum, so no wandering around outdoors. He's got a secured balcony, though, for fresh air, sunshine and bird watching.

 

[rubysmama]

I have thought about it, actually.  Especially since Ruby was a shelter cat brought in off the street.  But as of now, she's never shown any interest in going outside, so I'm not sure I want to re-introduce her to that world, as I certainly don't want her roaming around outside on her own. Also fleas live in grass, right?

 

[karrecat]

Our last cat went for a walk in a harness/leash combo every day for well over 13 years, even in the snow or sub-zero temperatures. While I'd love to leash train Mogli and take him outside, he's got so many allergies that I keep his vaccinations to an absolute minimum, so no wandering around outdoors. He's got a secured balcony, though, for fresh air, sunshine and bird watching.

 Both of my fur-kids have terrible allergies. Also, I'm allergic to pollen, so if the cats were allowed to roam outdoors, their fur would probably catch the floating pollen and bring it inside. 

 

[luckybabycat]

Cat I walked is over rainbow now but he really really  loved it. Learned as an older cat because of a family  relocation. He had previously been indoor outdoor.  Current cat, Lucky, was a feral from a dumpster colony (we got him as a kitten, three days after capture). You would think he would want to go out, but doesn't, and actually backs away from the door when I open it. and I don't think he'd handle a leash well anyway, so it's just as well!  But MIdnight  & I had a great time for a number of years on our walks.  As he slowed down, our walks consisted only of out the front door, along the one side of the house, and in the back door. But he still meowed & begged if I was near the top of the washing machine, which was the official put the leash on place. He became unable to jump up there which had been his signal for put the leash on. For a while he could jump on the laundry hamper then onto the machine. Finally had to rely on me to lift him.

 

[fhicat]

Would love to, but my cat is so skittish, it'll take many months, even years, before he trusts me enough to attempt something like that. 

 

[my-boy-jasper]

I said no, but interested. Actually, I've been trying but Jasper is so skittish and I get so worried about what could go wrong, so it's not going very well. All my past cats were free to go outside and I've never known anyone to keep their cats indoors or walk on a leash - so it still seems strange to me.

At first I tried an H style harness, but Jasper resisted wearing it too much. The final straw was when he tried to get it off and got his bottom jaw stuck in the collar part. I guess it was too loose but that was traumatic enough for both of us, and I gave up for a while. I recently ordered a Kitty Holster walking jacket. It is much better than the harness. He has worn it a few times and doesn't seem distressed. He walks like he is drunk but is getting better. I can tell he doesn't like it but at least he is not freaking out. So we went outside today, it was his second time ever. The first time was months ago and he was too overwhelmed and hid under anything. Today he explored the garden and seemed to enjoy himself. I tried a second time this evening but he got spooked and started flipping out, but luckily he headed straight for the door. Poor thing has been sleeping ever since.

I decided to try because he cries at the door in the evenings. He is my only cat and I worry that indoor life is too boring. But I live on a very busy road. I guess he sees and smells the outside the back door and knows he is missing something. But he is very skittish and I think he will always be easily spooked like today - stupid me picked up the garden hose. I'm worried that he will struggle and get out of the harness before I can control him. Even today, it was quite restrictive because I had to stop him from climbing into places I couldn't reach. I think if I have to pull the leash and he struggles, he will be able to slip out. But he really did seem to enjoy the sights and smells so I guess we'll keep trying.

 

[nbrazil]

I would prefer NOT to have to treat my clowder for fleas to minimize chemical exposure - or even heart worms. So I'm guessing the leash walkers are okay with that? Otherwise, I think it would be really fun for me and enriching for my cats.

 

[ritz]

I'd love to walk my cat, Ritz. I walk every morning. But Ritz is very skittish, and a scaredy cat, and no way could I get a halter on her. Plus she is black and white and were she to ever escape, really hard to find/see.