Leash Walking Indoor Cat?

[robert mauro]

Here's the harness I selected, along with a "bungee leash" designed for kittens. Beware the dog ones because they are usually too firm and not elastic enough. And since it's stretchier, make sure the fabric around it is strong.

Harness:


Bungee Leash (note: I do not use the harness that comes with it):

 

[mollyblue]

 
Hi again,

Thinking of cats walking on a harness and leash, I have a question. I always take my cats Rascal and Shadow for a walk with their harnesses and leashes separately of course. So far they do really well. But all of a sudden, my cat Rascal has started growling and hissing whenever I take him out at night for a walk with his harness and leash. The harness is the type they call a T harness. One end goes around the neck, and the other part goes underneath the front legs. I always make sure the harness isn't too tight, but not loose enough that it will slide off. Anyway, can anyone tell me why all of a sudden Rascal has started growling and hissing when I take him out at night? We live in a rural area, and I see a few cats now and then. Is he smelling the cats that might be coming around our house? Would that make him hiss and growl? What are your thoughts on his behavior? I would like some opinions on this. My other cat Shadow Never does this when I take him for a walk at night.

Thanks!

Nancy

http://www.leatherbrothers.com/Cats/6708.htm

My guess is that you have another animal that has taken up residence in the area and your cat feels threatened/angered by it.  It could be a stray cat, but it could be any number of other things too...My cats spend a lot of time sniffing the landscape, but animals tell so much about each other by the smells they leave behind... At our apartments, (big city, big  complex) we have possums, raccoons, I saw a fox, not on property, but a block over, I have not seen a skunk, but have smelled one.  I never see snakes, but I am sure we have some of those too, and the squirrels.  On top of all that, we have a HUGE feral cat problem at our complex that you really cannot even be aware of until you get out and go walking around the "park like setting".  You will see eyes peeping out at you from all over the place.  There is one parking lot drain my cat will not walk within 6 feet of, and there is one she would go down in if she could. I stand on my balcony sometimes after we have been for a walk, and I will see stray kitties come up and scent mark near our sidewalk... and other times stray cats will climb up the trees in the back of the building I live in, come over the roof and perch on my rooftop to watch my cats... I have even had stray cats on my second story balcony sniffing out my cats - the strays make their way to my door. One of my cats was a stray that used to follow me around the complex when I would walk my kitties in the stroller... she would stay far away, but she but she would follow us all the way around, darting in and under bushes, cars, etc. thinking she was so sneaky.  Then she started coming closer to the apartment - eventually she wound up indoors and now she won't go out to save her little life. 

 

[basscat]

Mine doesn't seem to mind the harness at all, once it's on him.  Problem is putting it on.  It's like fishing a fork out of a running garbage disposal.

 

[pegleg]

If your cat takes to it it's great.

One of mine doesn't want to go past a few flights of stairs and the other doesn't want to leave the house. It is great for the vets, though. I put them in the harness before we leave so I can take them out of the carrier when we arrive, they find it much less stressful.

 

[mollyblue]

oh, got hung up responding to a different question and forgot to answer this one.  4 cats, 2 are car and leash trained to the point they are quite comfortable to just pick them up and go.  It is great for the vet, they like going to the pet store, they come with us on road trips.  2 are not trained. Not because they are not trainable, but because we ended up with more cats than I care to take out and do things with.  I never wanted 4 cats... and I resent having 4 cats... takes away from the fun we had when we just had 2 cats... but what ya gonna do? 

 

[rascalshadownj2]

My guess is that you have another animal that has taken up residence in the area and your cat feels threatened/angered by it.  It could be a stray cat, but it could be any number of other things too...My cats spend a lot of time sniffing the landscape, but animals tell so much about each other by the smells they leave behind... At our apartments, (big city, big  complex) we have possums, raccoons, I saw a fox, not on property, but a block over, I have not seen a skunk, but have smelled one.  I never see snakes, but I am sure we have some of those too, and the squirrels.  On top of all that, we have a HUGE feral cat problem at our complex that you really cannot even be aware of until you get out and go walking around the "park like setting".  You will see eyes peeping out at you from all over the place.  There is one parking lot drain my cat will not walk within 6 feet of, and there is one she would go down in if she could. I stand on my balcony sometimes after we have been for a walk, and I will see stray kitties come up and scent mark near our sidewalk... and other times stray cats will climb up the trees in the back of the building I live in, come over the roof and perch on my rooftop to watch my cats... I have even had stray cats on my second story balcony sniffing out my cats - the strays make their way to my door. One of my cats was a stray that used to follow me around the complex when I would walk my kitties in the stroller... she would stay far away, but she but she would follow us all the way around, darting in and under bushes, cars, etc. thinking she was so sneaky.  Then she started coming closer to the apartment - eventually she wound up indoors and now she won't go out to save her little life.

Hey Molly,

Just saw your reply. Thanks for taking the time to answer my question. My mom thought the same about other animals being nearby. Since we live in a rural area, and are in a neighborhood where despite we have a leash law, people still allow their pets to roam the neighborhood. So it's obvious that the leash law is not enforced.

There are some people in our area that do keep their dogs confined in the yard by either fencing them in, or with one of those electronic yard devices where the dogs wear those special collars, and they can't go past a certain point in the yard. So those dogs never get out of the yard.

But there are some dogs who do run loose and I see them in our yard sometimes during the day. But I'm sure at night after we go to bed, they come in our yard at night. As for cats, few people in our area keep their cats indoors. They roam the neighborhood everyday, and night. So they probably come to our house when we're in bed.

We also have wild animals. One time I saw an Opossum in one of our cedar trees one night. That was cool. During the summer, I do smell skunks, but I too never see them. We also have coyotes. You never see them, but you can hear them howling at night. That might be upsetting Rascal. That howling sound is pretty creepy!

We also have rabbits, and frogs, lizards, and shrews. But you normally see those during spring and summer. So I'm sure Rascal is getting an overload of smells and by growling and hissing, I guess that's his way of expressing his dislike of those animals being in our yard or even area. We have squirrels too. We even have these squirrels who have white tips on the ends of their tails. That's really neat. :-)  I never knew that cats were as territorial as dogs until I got my cats. Even though they are neutered, they are still very territorial. I was walking Shadow, and we came across another cat. He immediately started growling, and hissing, and his hair stood up on the ends. So that was a good indication that he didn't like that cat in our yard. lol

That's interesting seeing those wild animals near your apartment complex. Especially since you're in the city! There must be some woods nearby. Guess those wild animals hang out in the woods. That's cool even seeing a fox! Wow!

That's sad about the feral cat population in your area. Does your humane society not have that TNR program in your town? If they do, you should contact them and maybe they can help you catch the cats, and get them spayed and neutered. That would be good. You could also contact Jackson Galaxy. He might be able to help, or give you some advice on how to catch the cats. I'm surprised since those cats are feral, they come so close to your apartment. Most feral cats never get too close to people. They normally shy away from people. Someone must be feeding them, and making sure they get plenty of food. They hang around when they know there's plenty of food to eat. Also maybe some of the residence of the apartment complex made some of those feral cat containers out of those heavy duty plastic storage containers, and maybe some of the cats are living in those. I've seen videos on YouTube that show how to make those. It's pretty simple. Maybe you could make one too, to help out the cats. Maybe you and some of the neighbors in the complex can go together and trap some of the cats, and get them spayed and neutered. That would help too. That's always a good solution to a feral cat problem. In any case, I hope you and your neighbors can catch the cats and take them to a no kill shelter where they will be spayed and neutered, and later adopted to good homes. That would be ideal! 

Thanks again for your reply. That makes good sense. Guess Rascal is more sensitive than Shadow about animals coming on our property. Shadow just acts like it doesn't matter. He just goes around and smells everything. lol

Take Care, and Good Luck with the feral cats.

Hugs,

Nancy

 

[mollyblue]

That's interesting seeing those wild animals near your apartment complex. Especially since you're in the city! There must be some woods nearby. Guess those wild animals hang out in the woods. That's cool even seeing a fox! Wow!

No woods, but we do have lots and lots of Trees and grassy area in our complex, and a city park that is a whole block near buy, and near to that is another city bock that is just grassy area.  We have an office complex near that has a huge pond, and huge lot that is just landscaping near to us also.  And so many geese... they are protected here and there is a big fine if you injure one and the geese must know it because they walk out right in front of your car and if you get too close they turn and honk and hiss at you... nothing to do but sit and wait patiently for them to cross the road.  One year two geese took up residence in the apartments outdoor swimming pool while it was closed for the season. 

That's sad about the feral cat population in your area. Does your humane society not have that TNR program in your town? If they do, you should contact them and maybe they can help you catch the cats, and get them spayed and neutered. That would be good. You could also contact Jackson Galaxy. He might be able to help, or give you some advice on how to catch the cats. I'm surprised since those cats are feral, they come so close to your apartment. Most feral cats never get too close to people. They normally shy away from people. Someone must be feeding them, and making sure they get plenty of food. They hang around when they know there's plenty of food to eat. Also maybe some of the residence of the apartment complex made some of those feral cat containers out of those heavy duty plastic storage containers, and maybe some of the cats are living in those. I've seen videos on YouTube that show how to make those. It's pretty simple. Maybe you could make one too, to help out the cats. Maybe you and some of the neighbors in the complex can go together and trap some of the cats, and get them spayed and neutered. That would help too. That's always a good solution to a feral cat problem. In any case, I hope you and your neighbors can catch the cats and take them to a no kill shelter where they will be spayed and neutered, and later adopted to good homes. That would be ideal! 

I use the term "feral" lightly as some people have very strong feelings about what the true definition of feral is.  Living in apartments, many people just toss their pets outs when they decide to move. One guy even put his dog out, locked in his doggie crate, and left him by the dumpster.  Birds are left in cages in vacant apartments, fish are left behind, but cats just get the boot. Though recycling is available in the city where I live, it is not available in the apartment complex where I live so we have many garbage dumpster that invariably provide a constant food source for these cats (and the other wild animals I mentioned), and there are many people who will put food out for them here and there.  We do have a TNR program and I think it is run by the lowcost spay and neuter shelter, but whoever is trapping the cats is still paying for the vet care out of their own pocket, even if it is at reduced rates.  My problem is I work Mon-Fri from 8:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m., then on Sat and Sun I work from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.  We took in a calico cat that we didn't plan on keeping, just was going to let her have her kittens and then get them all fixed and rehomed.  She still lives with us, and so does her son.  The Shelter here will not take drop offs because they are so crowded, even though we paid for their surgery and shots... Cat advocates say never to give cats away for free because they could end up in bad hands, but even the shelters here have free days where they give cats away... so trying to rehome them myself just never works.  I am not good at finding homes.  and I cannot afford to support the 4 we have.  Anyway, there are programs, and I do wish I was more dedicated to helping get the cat pop under control, but its sort of like "If you feed them, they will come"... and there just always seems to be a fresh supply of cats. 

Thanks again for your reply. That makes good sense. Guess Rascal is more sensitive than Shadow about animals coming on our property. Shadow just acts like it doesn't matter. He just goes around and smells everything. lol

Agreed, some animals are just more social than others. 

Take Care, and Good Luck with the feral cats.

Thanks, good luck with Rascal and Shadow.

Hugs,

Nancy

 

[rascalshadownj2]

Hi again Molly

No woods, but we do have lots and lots of Trees and grassy area in our complex, and a city park that is a whole block near buy, and near to that is another city bock that is just grassy area.  We have an office complex near that has a huge pond, and huge lot that is just landscaping near to us also.  And so many geese... they are protected here and there is a big fine if you injure one and the geese must know it because they walk out right in front of your car and if you get too close they turn and honk and hiss at you... nothing to do but sit and wait patiently for them to cross the road.  One year two geese took up residence in the apartments outdoor swimming pool while it was closed for the season. 

I love Canada geese, but that's true. They can create a hazard sometimes, but glad they are protected. Some golf courses get upset when the geese poop all over the greens and fairways. They make a big mess. But they are really pretty to watch. That's true too that they honk and hiss at people if you get too close to them. They sure are brave to honk and hiss at cars. That can be a big traffic hazard.

newkittycatbox.jpg

• rascalshadownj2
• Feb 18, 2017

Now that Rascal and Shadow are house cats, they rarely use the box. But I keep it around in case I need it. It has hinges on the back so you can lift up the top and clean it out. But later, I got rid of the straw, and now it has a pillow inside that I got at the local Goodwill. That makes it cleaner. ;-) But you're right. Some animals are more social than others. And that starts when they are very young. If my cats had been around more people when they were younger, they would be more social. But I think the older they get, the better they are getting about not being afraid of people. Now when people come to the house, they creep out and see who is there out of curiosity. But it just depends on the people who are there.

By the way, you're welcome. And again, Thanks for replying to my post. I was telling my mom it always helps to get a second opinion. ;-)

Take Care, and Hugs!

 

[mollyblue]

Now that Rascal and Shadow are house cats, they rarely use the box. But I keep it around in case I need it. It has hinges on the back so you can lift up the top and clean it out. But later, I got rid of the straw, and now it has a pillow inside that I got at the local Goodwill. That makes it cleaner. ;-) But you're right. Some animals are more social than others. And that starts when they are very young. If my cats had been around more people when they were younger, they would be more social. But I think the older they get, the better they are getting about not being afraid of people. Now when people come to the house, they creep out and see who is there out of curiosity. But it just depends on the people who are there.

That is a nice box, and Rascal and Shadow are lucky to have you care for them. Puffy cat is a box kitty,. she loves sleeping inside something, whether it is her crate, the cabinet under the sink, a dresser drawer that has been left open just enough for her to squeeze in, up in the sofa, her tunnel... she would love that box!

That is one of the things I like better about cats than dogs is just that cats tend to be a little more reserved and slow to warm up (sort of like me) whereas dogs have to be in everyone's business.  It seems around the apartments the kittens that are born to the "wild" cats stay in hiding their first six months or so and you will only see them at dawn or dusk... but after a year or so they will spend more time lounging in the open.  The older they get, the more open they are to a relationship -or so it seems to me.

Take care of yourself and Rascal and Shadow! 

 

[dustydiamond1]

The ones my cats are wearing in those pictures are the Kitty Holster harnesses. These are good, but the cats can back out of them. The ones that I have now are from www.hyendry.com. These are completely custom. Ours were ordered with the double locks so they have velcro and plastic buckles to keep the cats secure.

You must have ordered a size too large. I got xs Kitty Holster walking jacket for Gypsy and when fastened properly she cannot get out of it.

 

[NewYork1303]

You must have ordered a size too large. I got xs Kitty Holster walking jacket for Gypsy and when fastened properly she cannot get out of it.

Actually that one fits pretty tight. He is just a ninja.

 

[danteshuman]

How did you get them in their harnesses? Does the type of harness matter? When I tried to train my punk as a kitten to wear a harness he went ballistic. I have been thinking about harness training him though to take him to the vet (he hyperventilated/panted until I took him out and held him in my arms.) If I brush his belly with a soft RUBBER brush he nips at me. Any ideas on how I can train him? Harness recommendations?

 

[lilin]

Hey all, not sure if this is the correct forum, but I was considering leash training my indoor cat, to allow limited outdoor walks on leash only, as well as easier vet visits where I could leash him once there.

Does anyone have any thoughts or experiences or opinions on limited leash walks for an otherwise entirely indoor cat?

It all comes down to whether the cat tolerates the leash. I've had some who do, and some who don't. Introduce it slowly and see.

Also, walking a cat is different from walking a dog. It's more like the cat walks you! You're just there to prevent them from getting into something dangerous, pretty much. They don't "follow" like dogs will, for the most part.

I think it is beneficial to high-energy cats, or cats who want to go outside. Pearl used to love it, but I couldn't let her do it very often because she was allergic to something in most vaccines, and therefore she didn't have her full set. Vaccines become much more important if your cat goes outside at all, so I could only walk her when I was very sure there'd be no other cat, and no left-overs from other animals that might have a disease that transmits to cats.

But when we could, she was absolutely ecstatic!