Walking cats on leads...

[raelgrin]

Discuss please...

[Duncer]

It's wrong.

[chaptazbru]

I saw a woman walking a cat on a lead and harness in Wales once, cat seemed perfectly happy and at ease.

[China Doll]

I'm thinking of doing it next time Eric needs his boosters... It's only around the corner and he gets really distressed in the car in his basket, but he likes to follow me down the road. I will feel like a prize idiot if I do this though!

[mccfluff]

i think its ok if you train them from young so they are used to it. i tried it on murph. that was entertaining.

[whiskeryron]

Always for a few days if moving to a new house to familiarize cat to new suroundings.

WR.

[Deesie_88]

This would depend on each individual cat....as with all things some will love it, some will freak out some will simply sit staring at you in the way only a cat truly can. I would always suggest trying the lead on in small doses, inside at first to make sure if any mishaps do occur the cat cant run off and be lost trailing a lead. If all goes well venture out and see how it goes. good luck :)

[raelgrin]

My cats had a bad experience by jumping into a garden with big dogs... Every since then they don't seem to want to go out but they sit looking ou the window a lot. I just thought they might like to go for a walk with me rather than be out on their own!!!

[woofgang]

my neighbour's siamese loves to be outside but will panic and try to leg it for no apparent reason. neighbour takes cat out on a long line and harness cat is happy, neighbour is happy and I am happy cos one time it legged it and i nearly ran it over.

[friedgreentomato]

I trained my egyptian mau to walk on the lead - it was for several reasons - I travelled a lot and she travelled with me but did not like sitting in the car in a cage so this way I could put a harness on her and she would sit on the lap of my passenger very happily.

It also meant that she was exercised whilst I was away by going on walks - i think it depends on the cat - I have tried doing it with my mogs and they were not interested at all.

[Ratty2E]

Mine hated it, as soon as you put the harness on her she would go limp and collapse on the floor. If you pulled on the lead she'd just lie there on her side and be dragged across the carpet. She was'nt all there though bless her, you might have better luck.

[queenofmean]

I'd like one for my Max but he's a bit of a tank...our cat Jess loved his harness and would walk everywhere.

[Kiki-frog]

I've heard that Siamese cats are relatively cooperative when it comes to wearing a harness and lead, so maybe FGT's Egyptian mau is similar. I think most cats would go berserk if their humans tried this. I wouldn't dare with mine - I value my hands too much.

[friedgreentomato]

lol kiki have to say my EM was very very stupid and very docile - I could do anything to that cat!!

[ladyalex]

Friends of ours put a harness on their cat and take it out for a walk when they are staying away from home. He is an old chap now and they do not like to leave him home alone for any length of time. He comes and goes all the time at home through his cat-flap, but he would never work out where he was in a strange place.
Seems to work fine. He's happy and they're happy.
They do get funny looks, though.

[lcg]

my mum did it once with their fat, stubborn old puss when we all went on a boating holiday. it wasn't so much a walk as....a drag. far and away the funniest thing i have ever seen, and we have it on shaky video (because i was laughing so much) to prove it! he really didn't enjoy it and it wasn't fruitful as he wasn't used to it....and i think that's kind of the point. if it's done only sometimes, the cat exercises otherwise and is used to it, fine. if not....it is cruel. that's why we tried it only once.

[jules77]

My fathers cat was walked on a harness and flexi lead. Main reason was because he didnt like any other cats or dogs, and would try to attack them all, and as he was old, he would come off worse with cats, and could do some damage to dogs as he would jump on their back and aim for their eyes with his claws. Evil cat with other animals, but loving with humans.

[emmie]

daft

[Hopkirk]

This is the theory, but if I tried it with my cat, I would need plastic surgery to my wrists.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8ygBgYosJs