Should I let my cat go outside?

[debbiegarland]

My cat just LOVES staring out windows.  He gets really intense!  His tale thrashes, and he makes this weird noise--kind of a chirping noise, almost like a bird.  Anyways he loves watching what's going outside.  And I feel so bad he is stuck inside.  So does anyone have any thoughts/advice about the possibility of (not making him an outdoor cat) simply putting him on a leash so he can be outside?  Can someone give me info about it?  I'm not sure if I should or not.  What if he gets a taste for the outside and always wants to go out, or tries to run away?  What does putting a cat on a leash entail exactly? Any advice would be much appreciated! 

 

[Columbine]

Taking cats out on a leash is more common than you might think, and is a wonderful way to enrich your cat's life and keep him happy and stimulated. These articles explain more about the process:-[article="22521"][/article][article="22430"][/article]

 

[manemelissa]

I have personally had two experiences on leash training. One was with my brother's cat, Sassy, and the other with my cat, Belle.

Sassy was okay with having the harness on, and even being led by a leash. My brother and I both trained her, and we took it slow and followed all the recommended steps. The first time we felt confident to actually take her to the backyard on the leash, the neighbor's dog barked once, and she ran so fast that she yanked the leash out of my brother's hand and ripped a hole in the screen door to get back into the house. Yikes... We tried a little more but she was terrified after that. When she turned about 11 years old, she mellowed out a lot and we discovered that she was totally chill with being on the leash and in the backyard even when the neighborhood dogs barked! We had a lot of great experiences in the yard and she really enjoyed it.

Belle did okay with leash training at first; she seemed to have a time limit where she became overwhelmed with the harness being on her body-- this makes sense because she dislikes even wearing a collar. The first time I tried to take her out, a twig snapped under my foot and she bolted back to the garage door... somehow slipped out of her harness (guess it wasn't tight enough) and was hiding by the time I got back into the house.

Things I learned:

Make sure the harness it on tight enough. Cats can wiggle out of the smallest spaces!

Use lots of treats and take it very slow.

If you are worried about them wanting to escape every time you open the door, after putting the leash/harness on, take them out in a carrier/kennel and then walk around so that they don't think opening the door means they're going out.

If your cat is terrified, and you find your patience is gone, don't feel bad if you decide to "give up" and just let them watch the world from the window. The cat would probably prefer it to being terrified.

 

[SeventhHeaven]

Easiest way to train for me was to buy a harness and let the kitty live in the harness inside a few days to a week until the funny walking is over with when it no

longer bothers them. Using favorite wand toy dangling infront they start to prance. Once that's mastered with treats, hugs then gradually introduce the outdoors when

you're both confident. Read that buying the harness leash and laying near the food dish helps them

get used to the harness itself before placing on them.

It's hard to change back so once you do start taking him out he will no longer be an ' Indoor kitty only. '

Hard to confine to the indoors after they've been out. Bonus - if they ever get out they know where home is. Your bond strengthens now you're facing new challenges out on your journeys together. They love going for walks. *my escapees hang outside waiting for me to show up with leash we make it a game ;b