Unleashed outdoor walks

[Anicanis]

I wanted to ask some advice about walking with my cat.

I live in the top floor of a very small building in a gated street with a quiet private garden. My flat has a balcony, which my cat usually enjoys exploring. This winter the balcony was probably too cold for him and he started showing interest in going outside - but just to stay in front of my flat's door. He was really scared of even exploring the building and would just lay in front of the flat. Bit by bit he started exploring the stairs (which took months) but he is still very scared and usually obedient. But the other day he didn't come back when I called him - we found him downstairs, cautiously exploring the garden after someone left the front door open. So now we decided to only let him out with us and make this an "official walk".

It's not always that he wants to go all the way downstairs with us, and this takes a while, but now I'm wondering if I'm creating a monster. Today I walked with him for 15 min in front of the building and although he came back with me he was frustrated and just won't stop meowing to go again. Plus, I'm walking with him unleashed which is working so far (and his instinct has been to run home when he is unsure) but I'm wondering if he will still be obedient once he's more confident. The thing is, he seems to be getting bored at home even though I've been spending so much time with him. It seems that he is no longer playing by himself now that he knows about the outside world... I'm getting angry at him for meowing but don't want to, he's just a fluffy ball

Should I set a specific time to walk him? Is it essential to wear a leash? Is there a better way to do this with less frustration on both sides? Hlp.

 

[maggie101]

How old is your cat? Once he turns teenager, 6+ months old he will no longer play by himself. He is ready to hunt. If you let him outside and he hears something that interest him or scares him he will run off even if on a leash.cats can jump at most 8 feet high. Play with wand toys like go cat catcher with a mouse,cubes,cat tower boxes. My cats are micro chipped even though they do not go outside

 

[catloverfromwayback]

If you take him outside, he needs to be on a leash that's as close as they can be to escape proof - you'll need to research what's best. Though a truly frightened cat can wriggle out of just about any harness, it's still much better than not using one and having no chance of stop him running away for whatever reason - fear, excitement, anything.

There's an article here:

Harness And Leash Training For Cats - TheCatSite

Leash training for cats can be a game-changer, opening up a world of safe outdoor exploration. In our detailed guide, learn the best practices, useful tips, and top-rated harnesses.

thecatsite.com

 

[Anicanis]

How old is your cat? Once he turns teenager, 6+ months old he will no longer play by himself. He is ready to hunt. If you let him outside and he hears something that interest him or scares him he will run off even if on a leash.cats can jump at most 8 feet high. Play with wand toys like go cat catcher with a mouse,cubes,cat tower boxes. My cats are micro chipped even though they do not go outside

Oh no, he's a big boi, 2.5 yo. I play with him a lot, morning and evening, but he also plays alone (exclusively with springs!) The thing is that once "going outside" was on the table he stopped being interested in play and started meowing a lot to out, which was truly driving me mad as I'm trying to write a thesis. But now the problem seems to have been unfortunately "solved" with leash trauma

I went out with him on leash for the first time the other day in our building's garden and he accepted it (he had been introduced to it indoors at different moments), but after some time downstairs he got scared by a noise and ran as fast as he could back home, pushing the (heavy) leash from my hand and carrying it all up the stairs. Poor thing. When I got home, he was really scared and a bit entangled in the leash on my bed

He's a very scared kitty who's been through some things before we adopted him, and running home is always his "safe space" when I went outside with him unleashed so I think the leash made it more difficult for him to feel safe. He never again asked to go outside. I'll try again when I have more time available to gently reintroduce this or continue with the unleashed experiment until he gains a bit more confidence being outside.

 

[Anicanis]

If you take him outside, he needs to be on a leash that's as close as they can be to escape proof - you'll need to research what's best. Though a truly frightened cat can wriggle out of just about any harness, it's still much better than not using one and having no chance of stop him running away for whatever reason - fear, excitement, anything.

There's an article here:

http://[URL][URL]https://thecatsite.com/c/harness-and-leash-training-for-cats/

[/URL][/URL]

Thanks, I have introduced him to a leash at different points indoors, but back then he had no interest in going outside. He's really scared of things. Now I tried to take him out with the leash after posting here, and he cautiously accepted it but the leash seems to have made him feel very unsafe. He always runs home when he's scared of something, and the leash made it harder. He never again asked to go out though... I'll try to build up his confidence again some time in the future.

 

[ArtNJ]

If he is indoor/outdoor, and you don't go any further than his normal range, then there is no great problem in walking your cat without a leash, but that doesn't mean its a good idea. I did walks without a leash for a bit. He was very safe, mostly darting from bush to bush and occasionally coming to me for pets. The problem I had was that the cat wanted to go with me further than I was comfortable, into a higher traffic area and also far enough from home that I wasn't sure he'd get back if something scared him and he ran off. So I had to walk for like 5 minutes, then turn around and walk him back to the house rather than go on a normal walk. It was a cute thing, the neighbors all got a good laugh out of it, but at times I'd let him out and he'd get interested in a butterfly or something and not want to go. And then there is the "give a cat an inch, they want a mile" thing your noticing, where you've basically created a monster that wants to go out all the time.

If the cat is not indoor/outdoor, then I definitely wouldn't do it without a leash. Too much risk he'll run off and get lost.

All of that said, twice in my life I've seen people walking with cats on their shoulder. Once on a hiking trail deep in the woods. I think this goes in the same category of squirrels water skiing. Yes, its theoretically possible. But that doesn't mean you ought to go out and work on it.

 

[Anicanis]

If he is indoor/outdoor, and you don't go any further than his normal range, then there is no great problem in walking your cat without a leash, but that doesn't mean its a good idea. I did walks without a leash for a bit. He was very safe, mostly darting from bush to bush and occasionally coming to me for pets. The problem I had was that the cat wanted to go with me further than I was comfortable, into a higher traffic area and also far enough from home that I wasn't sure he'd get back if something scared him and he ran off. So I had to walk for like 5 minutes, then turn around and walk him back to the house rather than go on a normal walk. It was a cute thing, the neighbors all got a good laugh out of it, but at times I'd let him out and he'd get interested in a butterfly or something and not want to go. And then there is the "give a cat an inch, they want a mile" thing your noticing, where you've basically created a monster that wants to go out all the time.

If the cat is not indoor/outdoor, then I definitely wouldn't do it without a leash. Too much risk he'll run off and get lost.

All of that said, twice in my life I've seen people walking with cats on their shoulder. Once on a hiking trail deep in the woods. I think this goes in the same category of squirrels water skiing. Yes, its theoretically possible. But that doesn't mean you ought to go out and work on it.

Thanks for the input - we live in a very quiet area, but I can definitely see the possible issue of him not wanting to return when I do. In any case, he no longer wants to go outside after I tried walking him with a leash, so I'll leave it for now!

 

[danteshuman]

I vote train him to wear a harness. & a leash.

My hyper boy Jackie runs, climbs trees and naps in his harness.I gave him a 22 foot lead leash so he can have independence but I know he is safe. He also always gets treats when he comes inside. On fair weather days he gets 6 hours of the sliding glass door being open to my patio/apartment garden. That is why you see him napping by the bird feeder.

 

[Alldara]

I would put a leash on him for his safety. What if he gets used to that and suddenly someone else with a pet moves in and that pet is aggressive towards cats? Or a person is? Or he gets scared and bolts outside or someone lets him out by mistake? Too many ifs.

 

[BoaztheAdventureCat]

I wanted to ask some advice about walking with my cat.

I live in the top floor of a very small building in a gated street with a quiet private garden. My flat has a balcony, which my cat usually enjoys exploring. This winter the balcony was probably too cold for him and he started showing interest in going outside - but just to stay in front of my flat's door. He was really scared of even exploring the building and would just lay in front of the flat. Bit by bit he started exploring the stairs (which took months) but he is still very scared and usually obedient. But the other day he didn't come back when I called him - we found him downstairs, cautiously exploring the garden after someone left the front door open. So now we decided to only let him out with us and make this an "official walk".

It's not always that he wants to go all the way downstairs with us, and this takes a while, but now I'm wondering if I'm creating a monster. Today I walked with him for 15 min in front of the building and although he came back with me he was frustrated and just won't stop meowing to go again. Plus, I'm walking with him unleashed which is working so far (and his instinct has been to run home when he is unsure) but I'm wondering if he will still be obedient once he's more confident. The thing is, he seems to be getting bored at home even though I've been spending so much time with him. It seems that he is no longer playing by himself now that he knows about the outside world... I'm getting angry at him for meowing but don't want to, he's just a fluffy ball

Should I set a specific time to walk him? Is it essential to wear a leash? Is there a better way to do this with less frustration on both sides? Hlp.

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