Sad feral kitty update

[Mighty Orange]

Very cute. Lovely furry friend.

 

[Clocat]

Oh please don't let her loose outside ever again. Our girl Gypsy was the neighborhood stray. Late Oct of 2016 she decided to allow us to become her devoted minions. Through the winter she was content to stay inside. Spring came and she wanted out. By then we loved her too much to take a chance even though the neighborhood was, and still is, a peaceful safe place. I researched and bought a Kitty Holster brand walking jacket to take her out on a leash. At first she acted like she couldn't walk and would just flop.Didn't take long for to get over that and we were able to go to a less restrictive harness. It's not like walking a dog, she meanders and takes lots of sniff breaks and knows she only gets to go outside in harness with us.View attachment 439557View attachment 439558View attachment 439559View attachment 439560View attachment 439561

Those pictures are adorable! She clearly enjoys her walks. We actually do walk one of our current cats on a leash, but I started him when he was a year old. I have never been successful in getting an older cat leash trained!

 

[JamesCalifornia]

~ Some parents should put their kids on a leash when shopping ...

 

[herekittycat]

Oh please don't let her loose outside ever again. Our girl Gypsy was the neighborhood stray. Late Oct of 2016 she decided to allow us to become her devoted minions. Through the winter she was content to stay inside. Spring came and she wanted out. By then we loved her too much to take a chance even though the neighborhood was, and still is, a peaceful safe place. I researched and bought a Kitty Holster brand walking jacket to take her out on a leash. At first she acted like she couldn't walk and would just flop.Didn't take long for to get over that and we were able to go to a less restrictive harness. It's not like walking a dog, she meanders and takes lots of sniff breaks and knows she only gets to go outside in harness with us.View attachment 439557View attachment 439558View attachment 439559View attachment 439560View attachment 439561

I’m want to do this with a 2 year old indoor/outdoor cat who lived outside for about a year after being abused and abandoned (from what I can tell, he had a large wound and seemed feral when we first met him, thought we were going to completely return him). He’s been living with us outdoor/indoor since October after we realized he was getting sweeter and sweeter and were whack jobs that just leave the door open for him all the time. I’m actually going to get a harness tonight and any advice or experience you have to offer/other sources of info you may have referenced would mean a lot. How long did it take for her to get adjusted to the routine?

Also

 

[JamesCalifornia]

~ Some cats refuse to be controlled and will sneak out ...

 

[Clocat]

I’m want to do this with a 2 year old indoor/outdoor cat who lived outside for about a year after being abused and abandoned (from what I can tell, he had a large wound and seemed feral when we first met him, thought we were going to completely return him). He’s been living with us outdoor/indoor since October after we realized he was getting sweeter and sweeter and were whack jobs that just leave the door open for him all the time. I’m actually going to get a harness tonight and any advice or experience you have to offer/other sources of info you may have referenced would mean a lot. How long did it take for her to get adjusted to the routine?

Also

I cannot recommend the Kitty Holster enough: http://www.kittyholster.com/

I use it with our current cat who loves walks, as well as with a cat who passed away in 2016, and it's practically impossible for them to wriggle out of. It's also very easy to put on and adjust. Usually end up buying a new one after a couple of years because the cat fur would eventually cause the velcro to lose its stickiness. But a very good investment.

 

[dustydiamond1]

I cannot recommend the Kitty Holster enough: http://www.kittyholster.com/

I use it with our current cat who loves walks, as well as with a cat who passed away in 2016, and it's practically impossible for them to wriggle out of. It's also very easy to put on and adjust. Usually end up buying a new one after a couple of years because the cat fur would eventually cause the velcro to lose its stickiness. But a very good investment.

I use the non-sharp back of a seam ripper, a large paper clip or one of Gypsys metal toothed brushes to get cat hair out of velcro. Never keep tension on the leash when your kitty is facing you. No matter how well the harness is fastened they can wiggle out fairly quickly if there is tension for them to brace against even a Kitty Holster, they take a bit longer but it can be done.

 

[dustydiamond1]

I’m want to do this with a 2 year old indoor/outdoor cat who lived outside for about a year after being abused and abandoned (from what I can tell, he had a large wound and seemed feral when we first met him, thought we were going to completely return him). He’s been living with us outdoor/indoor since October after we realized he was getting sweeter and sweeter and were whack jobs that just leave the door open for him all the time. I’m actually going to get a harness tonight and any advice or experience you have to offer/other sources of info you may have referenced would mean a lot. How long did it take for her to get adjusted to the routine?

Also

Also? Bless you for saving your kitty, what is his name?
Anyway let's see if I remember that far back. I'd read to put the harness on them to wear around in the house so they can get use to moving in it but our place was so full of stuff (speakers large and small, bookcases large and small, stacks of dvds, cds, boxes, books and plants. Receivers, boom boxes, stereos, cassette players, cassettes, vinyl, knickknacks etc... we had had no intention of acquiring a pet!) that I was afraid she would go and get stuck somewhere I couldn't get to her so I wrapped her in the Kitty Harness walking jacket just inside the door with lots of praise and a treat or two. She was so funny! She'd stand there just fine til I clipped on the leash then drop to the floor like the not-large-at-all leash snap weighed a ton. I would carry her around outside, it was her old stomping grounds, occasionally setting her down where she immediately flopped. We'd just chill there til something interesting caught her eye and she would jump up to go check it out, forgetting she couldn't move in the straight jacket I'd put her in.She picked it up very quickly although we do more meandering and sniffing and lying than walking, I let her set the pace. When she outgrew the Kitty Holster she was doing so great that I got her a Mynwood cat walking jacket. It also has velcro at neck & waist just not quite as restricting since it's a bit shorter. Even though our 100 yo neighborhood was, and still is, quiet with not alot of traffic down the nice wide alleys I started back then carrying a walking stick and pepper spray cause you just never know, still carry them. It's a good idea to use a bungee leash at the end of a normal leash otherwise you may have a abrupt stop where your kitty looks like a starfish when they are jerked to a stop.
(I felt sooo bad!)
Keep us updated and maybe start a thread for questions, stories and suggestions, just let us know what you name it and we'll be there.