Taking a cat for a walk

I was at the humane society website today, poking around and ended up in their store. They sell a gentle leader for cats!!!

Before I moved to St. Louis, I lived in Lake Placid, NY and my cat Monkey would roam around outside fairly close to the house. She was incredibly happy spending afternoons outside and the rest of the day in. She'd bring me butterflies as presents, eat grass to her heart's content, chase bugs. When I first moved to St. Louis, Monkey and I moved in with a dog. Berrin was a very friendly, happy, harmless dog, but he loved to chase Monkey and while Monkey actually enjoyed provoking him into chasing her, she never went into the back yard as that was his territory. Now I live in a loft with no deck and she stares out the window with longing.

I often think-- wouldn't it be nice to take Monkey on walks-- just because she's a curious cat and she'd enjoy the new scenery. I could take her to some of the parks downtown, away from other people and dogs.

Anyway, do any of you cat owners take your cats for walks? Have you ever heard of anyone doing it?

My next door neighbors leash-trained their cat, a rescued feral kitten. He hated the leash at first, but he eventually got used to it. He understands that it's the only way he's allowed out of the house, and he enjoys his walks around the neighborhood.

Training an adult cat to a leash might be harder, but you've got nothing to lose by trying!

you do have to train them to appreciate it; otherwise they just consider it another torture their human thought up.

There are many people who believe that cats should be kept inside all the time for their own protection. There are just as many other people who believe that cats should be allowed outside to do their cat thing.

I'm not sure about a leash, but I guess it would really depend upon the particular cat.

I figure it's worth a $15 investment to find out... if she did like it... she'd LOVE it. I would probably drive her to Forest Park and then put her leash on her. So many things she could chase!

Cats can get used to almost anything if you do it slow and they think it's their idea :). I would start very slowly introducing the leash, maybe give her favorite treats at the same time, lots of love and praise. Maybe open a window and put a chair or a cat tree next to it so she can equate the outside air and all it's pleasures with the leash. Just kinda work up to it.

I used to compete with purebred cats in championship cat shows. I gave them 7-step bathes and blew them dry with an industrial strength blow dryer. I trimmed their eyelashes and shaved their nose leather. Then I took them to the airport, took them out of their carriers and walked through security with 1 or 2 cats in my arms. Their carrier went under my seat in the airplane. I made several trips to France, Austria and Switzerland with my top show cats.

In my 10 years of showing cats, I saw many cats on leashes and they loved it. I have cats that fetch and beg like a dog. I have one cat who grabs my hand with her paw and puts it on her head so that I will scratch her head!!

So, you absolutely can teach a cat things, if they think it is their idea and they really love to do it.

I think it depends on the cat. Morley, my fearless wonder has no trouble walking on a leash. Scout, my scaredyboo will likely have a heart attack.

When my dog was still alive, Morley would come out with us in the courtyard and would walk with my dog until we exited out of the compound. He'd wait for us and walk back with us. When my dog died, Morley was beside himself not having that routine anymore so I had to take him out for a walk every night. He follows me so I stopped using the leash.

Having said all this, I think it's easier to start them as a kitten rather than on an adult cat. But you can always give it a try, he may catch onto it!

TCTREK, what kind of cat needs its nose leather shaved?? :eek::eek:

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Originally Posted by tctrek

Cats can get used to almost anything if you do it slow and they think it's their idea :). I would start very slowly introducing the leash, maybe give her favorite treats at the same time, lots of love and praise. Maybe open a window and put a chair or a cat tree next to it so she can equate the outside air and all it's pleasures with the leash. Just kinda work up to it.

I used to compete with purebred cats in championship cat shows. I gave them 7-step bathes and blew them dry with an industrial strength blow dryer. I trimmed their eyelashes and shaved their nose leather. Then I took them to the airport, took them out of their carriers and walked through security with 1 or 2 cats in my arms. Their carrier went under my seat in the airplane. I made several trips to France, Austria and Switzerland with my top show cats.

In my 10 years of showing cats, I saw many cats on leashes and they loved it. I have cats that fetch and beg like a dog. I have one cat who grabs my hand with her paw and puts it on her head so that I will scratch her head!!

So, you absolutely can teach a cat things, if they think it is their idea and they really love to do it.

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Google clicker training. that is a really great way to get cats going.

I tried this with my cat, Amelia w/ mixed results. When we moved into our house with a yard, I bought her a leash. I eased her into it gently and gradually--she didn't seem to mind it. Then I got brave, took a lawn chair and book into the yard. She was so excited--just sat in one spot smelling grass. SO I wrapped the leash around the chair leg and settled in. Just then, hubby came home and walked around the side house (instead of out the door we came out)--my cat was so confused and startled--she went over me, down the back out the chair, slid out of her harness and bolted around the house. DH backpedaled the way he came, but I knew where she was going--DH lets her out on the front porch--she understand where that was. I bolted through the house for the front door--and she couldn't get inside fast enough :o No more leash--she just sits on the front porch with supervision (against my wishes, DH does it when I'm not home and then I have to listen to her scream at the front door--and clean up the vomited grass!)

Here she is, helping with a photo of bicycle shoes for a post.......

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Originally Posted by Biciclista

TCTREK, what kind of cat needs its nose leather shaved?? :eek::eek:

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Yes? What kind? I used to help my step-mom with her show Persians. I've shampooed, powdered, blown dry and combed long-hairs before--but never shaved their noses!

The clicker training sounds like a great idea. Watched a few youtube videos on it. Neat!

I tried the leash with Diva cat, the harness kind, oh my, what a nightmare that was...practically killed herself trying to get out of it, and Uchuva cat, 5 years younger, doesn't even want to go out the door when it is offered to her, traumatic kitten experience of some sort. So Diva now lives with mom where there is a cat door and she can come and go at will, and Uchuva cat, well she is a happy to be indoor cat.

Diva cat is very beautiful.
It really helps if you have a food motivated cat. because bribes help. Oh, if i do this, i'm going to get a treat?
..

Yeah my cat doesn't like people food or even wet cat food, but loooves crunchy treats. I feel like clicker training could work because of how much she loves them treats!

we want updates. And photos.

This is an AWESOME article about cat toilet training!

http://www.clickertraining.com/node/1265

I thought about trying one with Tortilla since she was declawed by her previous owner and could only be safe outside under extreme supervision. But we figure she never has tried to follow Heidi (the dog) outside or us either so why tell her there is a world out there? I had another declawed cat from the shelter that was impossible to keep in. It was a very stressful situation for me and her. She thought she should be outside and never understood why she had to stay indoors. :(

My declawed kitty, Calypso loves going outside the BACK door, and sits under the Norfolk pine that's near the back porch. The branches reach down to the ground, so she can hide under them and scan her domain for intruders such as lizards and cockroaches, and the occasional mocking bird. She makes no attempt to run out the front door when I go out to get the paper or the mail, but will run to the back door and cry to be let out. Since my two old cats won't play with her, outside allows some peace in the house.

I got a leash for Ruthie because I thought she'd enjoy being able to go outside once in a while. She's constantly in the windows "hunting" birds and squirrels, I figured she'd want to actually go and run in the grass and see things up close. Yeah, I thought wrong. Just getting the harness on her is a hassle, and by that point she's so mad at me she doesn't want to move. She just lays on the floor, as if I've put some kind of torture device on her. So I take her outside and instead of running around checking things out, she's a big scardy cat! Anything that moves causes her to run under the car or into the bushes. I haven't tried bringing her out in a long time, because it just doesn't seem worth it.

We used to have not one, but two cats who would walk with us when we took the (then) 2 dogs for a walk in the neighborhood. The cats would follow along behind and the neighbors thought it was a hoot!

Well, I got Monkey a clicker, some new treats, a harness (but no leash yet), and a LASER POINTER (which she's never had before). We played all morning with it in one part of the house (a darker part) and now that we're not playing anymore, she's yowling looking for her new bright little friend. At least I have a way to coax her outside if she doesn't want to come willingly at first!

I don't think she's had this much fun in a loooong time. I need to get a nicer laser pointer though... this one is pretty cheap.

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Originally Posted by Norsegoddess

We used to have not one, but two cats who would walk with us when we took the (then) 2 dogs for a walk in the neighborhood. The cats would follow along behind and the neighbors thought it was a hoot!

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Before I took Hunter (cat) in, he'd follow Chloe (dog) on our walks. He'd actually attach himself to her side like velcro. (He still does but at the time he'd been abandoned by his owners and I think he was starved for some attention...and food.) I'd have to keep treats in my pocket in order to move him from underfoot :rolleyes: :). Chloe's quite tolerant of this. One of these days I'm going to try to get a picture of it. The walks would create quite the stir from neighbors and passing motorists.

I have a cat that greets me at the gate every day. Escorts me up the walk and on to the porch, then notices the dogs waiting just inside the door...and refuses to come in. :p

If I'm not fast enough when going out, he sprints through the gate and gets right in the car when I open the door. He has spent the night in the car once or twice (don't panic, it was winter time).

Karen

I take my kitty for walks on a leash, or rather, she walks me. I got the idea after discovering that she was probably a Bombay cat, and read in the profiles of Bombay cats that they were easily leash trained. In hindsight, I'd have to say that I wish I hadn't let that particular pandora open that particular box. Silky kitty was perfectly happy as an indoor cat, leering at the birds from the window; basking in the sun from the window....etc. but now, she's discovered that she REALLY LIIIIIKes being outside, and that she would really rather cut out the middle man (aka: ME). Yeah, yeah, she tolerates having the leash put on and she tolerates leading me around to the spots in the yard she would like to look at, but she would really rather take the initiative and take a look for herself. so she is constantly rushing the door any time she hears any body even thinking about opening it. She doesn't reason out the fact that half the things she encounters scare the bejebus out of her, or that she actually does like hanging out with me; she just has this new impulse to rush the door and get OUT.