Harness training a 4 month old

[BeccaT]

Hi! So my husband has just sprung it on me that he intends to drive 7+ hours to visit family this Christmas, and we'll have no one to watch our cat when we're away. We took her on a 2 and a half hour trip in the car some weeks ago with a carrier, while taking her out occasionally so she wouldn't be cooped up (and of course we took a break to let her use the bathroom and eat/drink) but it wasn't the most fun experience. She tried climbing all over me and the car or cried when she was in her carrier. She's been in the car before but usually only for short journeys and it's really hit or miss whether she gets upset or not.

I had always intended to harness train her eventually so we could take her on supervised walks and give her the freedom to roam (within reason) in the car without being restricted to a carrier the whole time, but we may only have a few weeks up until Christmas to train her. I thought I'd ask here for some advice!

First off, what type of harness should I get her? Both brand and type (vest or just straps) as I've read mixed reviews on every type of harness so far that some aren't escape proof (I assume there's no 100% escape proof harness out there) and some are more comfortable or secure than others. Secondly, are there any tips for training her in general? The plan would be to of course train her with it in the house, then when she gets more comfortable, take her on short car rides with it on and establish boundaries for how far she can actually wander in the car without endangering the driver. Thank you in advance.

Another thought I just had, should we even attempt an approx 7 hour drive with a cat? We’re only considering it as we thought boarding would be expensive for the Christmas period and we have plans to move to a city 4-5 hours away sometime next year so we thought it might be good to get her used to it in preparation for that too.

 

[di and bob]

If you can handle the constant crying it should be OK, I think most cats would rather be left home with someone checking on them. We leave ours alone overnight, but no longer. as for the harness training, I finally settled on one called the figure 8 harness because of my little escape artist. It was the only one she couldn't get out of. When I first put it on her she just fell over on her side and laid there the whole time! Just persist and put it on the cat for longer periods of time, several times a day until they act normally wearing it, then attach a leash and walk with them in the house. Cats are NOT good travelers, they are extremely scared of new places and new people, I guess you could try to bring her to maybe a friend's house with the harness to see how she does. Holidays are even worse because of all the bustle and loud voices, so think very carefully about bringing her. Is there a neighbor or friend you could pay to look in on her? I guess just see how she adapts to the harness first.

 

[danteshuman]

I would look for a Velcro vest and a kitty holster harness when she is 6 months old. Mainly because the kitty holster is easy to put on/take off. They sell dog and cat car seats that you clip their harness to. That way one of you can ride in the back with her. Measure your cat with a measuring tape before you buy a harness.
Jackie in his the kitty holster: