Do you/ Would you walk your cat?

[catbehaviors]

Wow everyone, thanks for all of the responses!  I've loved reading about your experiences.  I've never actually worried about fleas, and Wessie has never gotten them.  I suppose it depends a bit on where you live and such. 

 

[katayl88]

I picked the middle option. One of my cats spends a lot of time outdoors on his own so would never need a leash. The other is an indoor cat and I would like to give her the experience of going outside under supervision. She chewed the last harness I tried on her though and broke the buckle. :/ I guess the other option is a cage outside.

 

[cocheezie]

Cocheezie came to us as a leash-trained cat. Since her former owner had her declawed, letting her off the leash was not an option. She only wants to go out at night in the summer. If it's cold or the ground is covered in snow - she won't go.

My other cat came to us as a 10-year-old indoor cat who became so overexcited whenever they tried to take him out that his previous owners decided to keep him in. He really wanted to go outside. Leaf chasing in the fall was definitely on his bucket list. It took months of taking him out onto the back deck, holding him tightly in our arms, and then on a leash before he became accustomed and less excited about being outside. After two years now of being on a leash and spending a lot of time outdoors in the warmer weather, he still overexcites easily. In the beginning he had no street smarts and he still doesn't. Off-leash for him will never be an option. He is obsessed with going south. Don't know why. We've let him lead the way and gone for blocks. We wonder if he is an Elvis fan and wants to go to Nashville to visit Graceland.