Should I harness train my cat?

[Shawna87]

From what I understand, harness training begins indoors, and it's not like you would take your cat outside right away. You could definitely pick out a harness now, and get your cat started with it inside, and just see how he responds to it in general as a first step.

I actually already have a hardness and he’s quite comfortable with it on. I’m just worried because I know a scared cat can get out of anything. Thank you!

 

[Shawna87]

We are having the same debate in our household; we don't want our girl to want to go outside, but she could use new stimulus. Right now, we have settled in some treat puzzles and training her on simple commands.

I’ve actually thought about training him with commands. Do you use a clicker for this? I also have a treat puzzle that he loves!

 

[Shawna87]

Definitely agree that harness training is a good idea even if it doesn't prove feasible to walk him. Another thought - would a catio be possible? For indoors, have you tried "cat TV" for him to watch?

And yes, he will get ticks and fleas outside - you'll need to use preventatives for him. (Probably a good idea even if he doesn't go out; fleas' life cycle is only briefly on the cat, their eggs are on the ground and floor mostly.)

I do use a flea and tick medicine but in my experience even those cannot always prevent them. I recently took in a kitten with fleas and getting rid of them is a pain . He doesn’t seem too interested in cat TV. My girl likes it but he gets bored of it fast. We’re actually in the process of getting together a house plan to build our new home and I’d love to put a catio in it! I’d just like to find him other enrichments till then. Thank you for your help!!

 

[Shawna87]

100% agree that harness training and crate training is important. For all the reasons.mentioned above.

Clicker training may work for your cat as well!

If you have a realitively safe way to take him out and he enjoys it, it could be a good idea. We have a fenced patio as part of our rental.. previously we had a balcony.

You can also bring the outside to him in a way of a bird feeder outside a window.

Desensitization training is great for things like the vacuum by the way. I highly recommend. He's young so it should work well. We used treats but also just having the vacuum around and off, then around and on briefly but not moving. And then finally normal vacuuming. Of course, we needed to do normal vacuums even when doing the training.

We also got a smaller quieter vacuum for this and are still working on our newest cat and the big vacuum. That one's still a bit spooky to everyone.

He does great in the carrier and I’ve actually brought him to the vet in a hardness and he does great!

I recently got him a bird feeder but still need to put that up for him. I’ve never heard of desensitization training. That’s very interesting but makes a lot of sense. Should I start by just keeping the vacuum out in one room while it’s off and slowly work from there?

 

[Shawna87]

I agree with everyone about harness training him. I would harness train (all of your cats) and train them them to their carriers. I would do this with all of your cats even if none of them ever go outside for purposes of having them ready for any type of emergency. I've heard about cats that weren't harness or carrier trained (in this instance the carrier is what they should have been trained to) and there was a house fire. She couldn't get her cats into their carriers they all hid when she tried to get them in their carrier. She had to leave them in the house. Thank God they were ok.. she got lucky that none of them were injured and extremely lucky none of them perished in the fire.
So harness and carrier training is a plus no matter what.

Mental stimulation you can add inside would be food puzzles and even a snuffle mat. I also attached a link for a mouse toy that has a pocket area for treats. But here are a few different puzzles and 2 different snuffle mat types
Amazon.com

Amazon.com

Amazon.com

Amazon.com

Amazon.com

Amazon.com

I hope you find one of these that you might like to get for your kitties they are very mentally stimulating.

Thank you so much for your help!! My cats actually fight over who gets to go in the cat carrier . They love their carriers!

I have a treat puzzle but I’m unsure how often to use it for him and when I do take it out all the other cats try to take over it. How often do you recommend using the treat puzzle for him?

 

[RainBoots]

I’ve actually thought about training him with commands. Do you use a clicker for this? I also have a treat puzzle that he loves!

Clicker training can be very effective, but my cat hates the noise. Freya just gets lots of praise and treats, and so far it is going well. She is very food motivated and I think she likes learning.

 

[Alldara]

He does great in the carrier and I’ve actually brought him to the vet in a hardness and he does great!

I recently got him a bird feeder but still need to put that up for him. I’ve never heard of desensitization training. That’s very interesting but makes a lot of sense. Should I start by just keeping the vacuum out in one room while it’s off and slowly work from there?

My late cat Lily would go to the vet in a harness like a dog that's wonderful! Our new vet is on too busy of a road so even our outdoor savvy Magnus is nervous there before we get in.


Yes exactly! "Store" it in a room you generally play in. Then just move it around the floor off during training just slowly. If you have a second human to play, brush or comfort that is best.

Next I would just turn it on in the middle of the living room. "Loud sound. Ready? Vacuum. Loud sound." Mine I can kind of "pump" the on button to have it start up. So I can kind of pump it between those statements. Let's them know what I'm talking about when they're still learning the lingo.

Then I move around and do some tidying, give the occasional treat or toy while the vacuum is on. If you have to start with the vacuum and cat in separate rooms then that's good too.

But you can also record the vacuum and then play it at a low volume during a high reward treat and slowly turn the sound up over a few days. Those tube treats are great for this.


Ghost desensitization today

Today we had to use the big vacuum so we lead Ghost to the front of the house (carpet is in the back). He can see a bit from there. Then we warned about the sound. Then I busied myself around their food area while my wife turned the vacuum on. The food area is closer than where I lured him to, but it blocked by the couch so he feels a bit safe.
I got out the Churu container, which has all 3 cats running. Im at an advantage because Magnus is desensitized from the vacuum completely (he actually likes the white noise. It calms him) and Calcifer went from scared on a different level to, "I'll chill on my tree and watch."
I gave them each a Churu and ghost got to see that the other cats were totally chill. Magnus went back to lay on the carpet being vacuumed and Calcifer went around the vacuum to the tree. So Ghost decided to come around the couch a bit and then he ran to the other tree, but he came back and forth between the tree and me for a bit.
Two weeks ago he still hid from the big vacuum, so this is great progress. We use a little vacuum daily. It's quieter and smaller so much less threatening. He was never bothered by the smaller ones at all.

Calcifer is the tricky one. It's taken him a long time.

 

[danteshuman]

I vote yes. I suggest a Velcro vest because the cats seem to prefer it and ease of putting it on/off. I give them treats when I take the harness off. I suggest you stick to a daily routine so your cat learns when it is outside time & that they get a meal after they come in.

Nick (house panther) used to wear a kitty holster harness to, back when he wore a harness. Jackie wears his harness every day to go outside.

 

[Cat McCannon]

Belle at the vet’s yesterday

 

[catloverfromwayback]

I do use a flea and tick medicine but in my experience even those cannot always prevent them. I recently took in a kitten with fleas and getting rid of them is a pain . He doesn’t seem too interested in cat TV. My girl likes it but he gets bored of it fast. We’re actually in the process of getting together a house plan to build our new home and I’d love to put a catio in it! I’d just like to find him other enrichments till then. Thank you for your help!!

You're most welcome!

 

[catloverfromwayback]

I vote yes. I suggest a Velcro vest because the cats seem to prefer it and ease of putting it on/off. I give them treats when I take the harness off. I suggest you stick to a daily routine so your cat learns when it is outside time & that they get a meal after they come in.

Nick (house panther) used to wear a kitty holster harness to, back when he wore a harness. Jackie wears his harness every day to go outside.

Have you ever had any cats scared of the sound of Velcro? I tried Daisy with one because she was able to escape her other, but the sound freaked her out.

 

[Shawna87]

My late cat Lily would go to the vet in a harness like a dog that's wonderful! Our new vet is on too busy of a road so even our outdoor savvy Magnus is nervous there before we get in.


Yes exactly! "Store" it in a room you generally play in. Then just move it around the floor off during training just slowly. If you have a second human to play, brush or comfort that is best.

Next I would just turn it on in the middle of the living room. "Loud sound. Ready? Vacuum. Loud sound." Mine I can kind of "pump" the on button to have it start up. So I can kind of pump it between those statements. Let's them know what I'm talking about when they're still learning the lingo.

Then I move around and do some tidying, give the occasional treat or toy while the vacuum is on. If you have to start with the vacuum and cat in separate rooms then that's good too.

But you can also record the vacuum and then play it at a low volume during a high reward treat and slowly turn the sound up over a few days. Those tube treats are great for this.


Ghost desensitization today

Today we had to use the big vacuum so we lead Ghost to the front of the house (carpet is in the back). He can see a bit from there. Then we warned about the sound. Then I busied myself around their food area while my wife turned the vacuum on. The food area is closer than where I lured him to, but it blocked by the couch so he feels a bit safe.
I got out the Churu container, which has all 3 cats running. Im at an advantage because Magnus is desensitized from the vacuum completely (he actually likes the white noise. It calms him) and Calcifer went from scared on a different level to, "I'll chill on my tree and watch."
I gave them each a Churu and ghost got to see that the other cats were totally chill. Magnus went back to lay on the carpet being vacuumed and Calcifer went around the vacuum to the tree. So Ghost decided to come around the couch a bit and then he ran to the other tree, but he came back and forth between the tree and me for a bit.
Two weeks ago he still hid from the big vacuum, so this is great progress. We use a little vacuum daily. It's quieter and smaller so much less threatening. He was never bothered by the smaller ones at all.

Calcifer is the tricky one. It's taken him a long time.

This is great to know thank you! Nothing scares my girl Lucy she can sit right next to the vacuum and smacks it with her paw. We also use a robot vacuum and she likes to ride on it. My two boys though are scared of the big vacuum but have slowly gotten use to the robot vacuum.

Im going to start by putting the vacuum in our living room where they play and spend most of their time and work with both the boys.

Thank you so much for your help on this! This is very helpful!

 

[Shawna87]

This thread has made me want to try to harness-train Willy. He's 10 years old so I don't know how it would go, but it's a fairly inexpensive thing to try.

I live in a big city so the outside environment is not ideal. However, I live in an apartment building with long, safe hallways (there are two closed doors between the hallways and outside), and Willy is obsessed with venturing out there whenever he gets the opportunity to squeeze through the door. I let him explore out there sometimes when I know it's safe, while keeping an eye on him.

I could take him on walks with a harness around the hallways and main lobby area, which would be more stimulating than just sitting in my apartment, and he could get a little more exercise. I want to give this a shot, now.

Let me know if you try it and how it goes! I’m going to start working with my two boys more now too!

 

[Shawna87]

Here are a couple of links to help harness train your kitty. I hope you have a wonderful experience. It will take plenty of patience and consistency. The main thing is to go at the pace of your kitty. Some steps may take a day or two while others may take a week or longer. At least that is how it went for me. I don't know if a week is long or not for harness training but we got there and so can you.

http://[URL]https://www.whyanimalsdothething.com/harness-train-your-cat

[/URL]

http://[URL]https://yourcatbackpack...tips-and-advice/how-to-harness-train-your-cat

[/URL]

Thank you for the resources! These are super helpful!

 

[Shawna87]

Our previous kitty, Nilla loved to go out with her harness and leash. For her, it really didn't even involve training. She was very interested in going outside, so I figured I could give it a try. I didn't want her to be a door dasher. I bought a MetPet harness (Google "MetPet"). I put it on her the first time with no problem, opened the front door and off we went. That first time, she stuck close to the house, but was not afraid, just cautious. She didn't slink, she was just on alert. Next day she was at the front door yelling at me to take her out. Tail up high, all over the place. Climbed a tree as far as I would let her, had a great time. She actually started to hold up her head so I could buckle the clip for the neck part of the harness. She would stay perfectly still for me so I could get the harness on her quickly and go go go! She was on Revolution Plus, so no issue with fleas or ticks. We stayed to our yard - front and back. She was a very smart, active cat that easily figured out things by association. She was an only cat. No other cat we have ever had over the years had any desire to go outside.

She got out one time all by herself, but it didn't cause any issues. I didn't notice - we were having renovations to our kitchen and laundry room being done (tub leak from upstairs ruined the ceiling). I was doing laundry in the garage (contractor made a box to catch the dryer lint) - I had cracked the garage door for a little relief from the heat. I didn't think it was enough room for her to squeeze under. Next thing I know - I was looking out the kitchen window to the back yard - she was up in a small tree by my bird feeder! I calmly went around back and plucked her out of the tree and brought her back in.

I learned my lesson - do NOT skip her daily walk! She gave me a good look like she was saying "well if you won't take me out, I'll take myself out".

I do think that since she was comfortable being outside, she didn't panic at all and was fine and dandy.

Our current kitty, Buddy, nope. He is not scared of outside, but the only time he got out (front door was not shut tight and I was out there. He could see me through the window and wanted to be with me), he just wanted to be with me, no interest in outside otherwise. He was a stray as a young cat. He was not scared of outside at all.

Its an individual cat thing, totally depends on the cat. I would not force it on a cat. It depends on their temperament and their attitude towards the outside, etc.

If you decide to try to use a harness, be very, very careful to make sure you have it tight enough so your cat can't slip out. Follow the directions carefully!

My boy tries to run out the door whenever it opens because he’s so curious what’s out there so I’m really wanting to try it with him. I’ve just always been very protective of my kitties and my worst fear is losing one of them. I’m wondering if I could put a gps tracking collar on him along with a hardness if I decide to train him to go out. Maybe that way if he did ever get off I’d have a way to find him. My only concern with this is some areas where we live has bad signal.

 

[Shawna87]

I vote yes. I suggest a Velcro vest because the cats seem to prefer it and ease of putting it on/off. I give them treats when I take the harness off. I suggest you stick to a daily routine so your cat learns when it is outside time & that they get a meal after they come in.

Nick (house panther) used to wear a kitty holster harness to, back when he wore a harness. Jackie wears his harness every day to go outside.

Your cats are adorable!! What brand of hardness do you use for your cats?

 

[heatherwillard0614]

I think since you have a puzzle feeder and they all like it maybe these puzzle "toys" out of the list would be best so they could all interact.. for the mouse one I'd get one to see how they like it if they are all into them then get one for each in the future.. there are different shuffle mats I know my girl likes this one and the one in my last post with all of the links. The clear Ballwin the wooden base toy that has the hard food or treats in it has two options either single or double since you have multiple cats maybe the double one would be better..

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09SVVTD2G/?tag=thecatsite

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09Y43NKTT/?tag=thecatsite

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08FMWZ964/?tag=thecatsite

 

[danteshuman]

I buy the kitty holster harness. Be sure to measure your cats before you buy a harness. The lynxpoint is mine and wears his harness everyday. They are littermates The house panther is my mom’s and no longer wears a harness, he roams free. I suggest a catio or a harness.

 

[heatherwillard0614]

I think since you have a puzzle feeder and they all like it maybe these puzzle "toys" out of the list would be best so they could all interact.. for the mouse one I'd get one to see how they like it if they are all into them then get one for each in the future.. there are different shuffle mats I know my girl likes this one and the one in my last post with all of the links. The clear Ballwin the wooden base toy that has the hard food or treats in it has two options either single or double since you have multiple cats maybe the double one would be better..

Amazon.com

Amazon.com

Amazon.com

I found the mouse one that is a pack of 3 figured I'd share that with you because it is only 2 bucks more than the 1 pack.

Amazon.com

 

[Shawna87]

I found the mouse one that is a pack of 3 figured I'd share that with you because it is only 2 bucks more than the 1 pack.

Amazon.com

Oh this is perfect! I’m definitely going to get this for them! They’ll love it! Thank you!