cat harnesses

In article , Woof B
wrote:

But please do not feed the trolls, it only encourages them. Let them
shrivel and dwindle and die away in the morass of their own inanity.
(IBen is a well-known troll. In the posting you're replying to, he she
or it is pretending to care about cats' well-being. In quite a few other
postings, it advocates cruelty).

Sometimes you can't help it, yannow? This post was certainly
particularly inane.

*Some* cats, no doubt, don't do well in harnesses. I doubt people can
walk cats *in the same way* as they walk dogs (brisk pace, animal walks
to heel, &c). Some cats love it.

Yep, most of my kitty-walks involve finding the nearest patch of dirt to
roll in or the nearest fresh-grown grass to munch on. It's just recently
that Otis has decided actually *walking* is fun, too. Him, I can walk
similarly to a dog. If he forges ahead, I follow; if he lags behind, I
call him up to receive lots of pets and praise; if he takes off on a
tangent I restrict his progress with the leash and call him back for
pets and praise. (Sometimes I get frustrated and pick him up and place
him back on the sidewalk in the direction I wish to travel. MUCH easier
with a 10 lb. cat than a 75 lb. dog!!)

Most material I've read on the issue suggests that tugging or flopping
are best handled in the pre-walk training period in the home,
incidentally -- it's only once you've got the cat used to the feeling of
the harness and lead that you can safely and properly evaluate how your
cat feels about taking you for a walk :-) (as opposed to how it feels
about the harness when the harness is unfamiliar).

I don't clearly remember how I trained Otis. (Hektor first wore a
harness when he was 5-6 months old so he took to it quite easily.) I
know I used treats to reward him for so much as sniffing the harness at
first, and later laid it across his back without buckling it (again,
lots of treats involved). We progressed to longer and longer periods of
wearing the harness in the house, including while doing normal
activities like eating. (*Always supervise*, btw--Otis has gotten the
collar portion caught in his mouth a couple of times.) Later came
dragging the leash around the house, and dragging the leash while I held
it. I desensitized him early to tugs on the leash. I didn't want him to
shut down when that happened; I use a light tug to indicate "Don't go
that way" ie when the cat is heading under a bush or into somebody
else's driveway!

As you say, outdoor training was quite different. My goal was to
maximize pleasureable events while not coddling for fear responses. I
used to put the boys in the tall grass and play hide-and-seek with them
(a huge hedge between us and the road prevented people and cars from
startling us).

Anyway...I have a feeling that most cats can adapt well to wearing a
harness to make short excursions onto the grass, at least. I think the
extra stimulation is worthwhile for an otherwise indoor kitty.

-Alison in OH

In article , Woof B
wrote:

But please do not feed the trolls, it only encourages them. Let them
shrivel and dwindle and die away in the morass of their own inanity.
(IBen is a well-known troll. In the posting you're replying to, he she
or it is pretending to care about cats' well-being. In quite a few other
postings, it advocates cruelty).

Sometimes you can't help it, yannow? This post was certainly
particularly inane.

*Some* cats, no doubt, don't do well in harnesses. I doubt people can
walk cats *in the same way* as they walk dogs (brisk pace, animal walks
to heel, &c). Some cats love it.

Yep, most of my kitty-walks involve finding the nearest patch of dirt to
roll in or the nearest fresh-grown grass to munch on. It's just recently
that Otis has decided actually *walking* is fun, too. Him, I can walk
similarly to a dog. If he forges ahead, I follow; if he lags behind, I
call him up to receive lots of pets and praise; if he takes off on a
tangent I restrict his progress with the leash and call him back for
pets and praise. (Sometimes I get frustrated and pick him up and place
him back on the sidewalk in the direction I wish to travel. MUCH easier
with a 10 lb. cat than a 75 lb. dog!!)

Most material I've read on the issue suggests that tugging or flopping
are best handled in the pre-walk training period in the home,
incidentally -- it's only once you've got the cat used to the feeling of
the harness and lead that you can safely and properly evaluate how your
cat feels about taking you for a walk :-) (as opposed to how it feels
about the harness when the harness is unfamiliar).

I don't clearly remember how I trained Otis. (Hektor first wore a
harness when he was 5-6 months old so he took to it quite easily.) I
know I used treats to reward him for so much as sniffing the harness at
first, and later laid it across his back without buckling it (again,
lots of treats involved). We progressed to longer and longer periods of
wearing the harness in the house, including while doing normal
activities like eating. (*Always supervise*, btw--Otis has gotten the
collar portion caught in his mouth a couple of times.) Later came
dragging the leash around the house, and dragging the leash while I held
it. I desensitized him early to tugs on the leash. I didn't want him to
shut down when that happened; I use a light tug to indicate "Don't go
that way" ie when the cat is heading under a bush or into somebody
else's driveway!

As you say, outdoor training was quite different. My goal was to
maximize pleasureable events while not coddling for fear responses. I
used to put the boys in the tall grass and play hide-and-seek with them
(a huge hedge between us and the road prevented people and cars from
startling us).

Anyway...I have a feeling that most cats can adapt well to wearing a
harness to make short excursions onto the grass, at least. I think the
extra stimulation is worthwhile for an otherwise indoor kitty.

-Alison in OH

[On feeding trolls]
Sometimes you can't help it, yannow? This post was certainly
particularly inane.
giggle True. But they're looking for a response and don't necessarily
care what it is. The best medicine is ignoring them.

pets and praise. (Sometimes I get frustrated and pick him up and place
him back on the sidewalk in the direction I wish to travel. MUCH easier
with a 10 lb. cat than a 75 lb. dog!!)

I'm going to get male neutered Ragdolls, could be quite big. I'm
assuming I'll have to rope my boyfriend in to walk the other one, as I
have severe doubts about my ability to restrain two large cats both
freaking out at once.

activities like eating. (*Always supervise*, btw--Otis has gotten the
collar portion caught in his mouth a couple of times.) Later came
I think the owner's meant to trail around after the cat disentangling it
at that stage -- to give the cat the impression it does not need to
panic, just wait for the owner.

As you say, outdoor training was quite different. My goal was to
maximize pleasureable events while not coddling for fear responses. I
used to put the boys in the tall grass and play hide-and-seek with them
(a huge hedge between us and the road prevented people and cars from
startling us).

Anyway...I have a feeling that most cats can adapt well to wearing a
harness to make short excursions onto the grass, at least. I think the
extra stimulation is worthwhile for an otherwise indoor kitty.
Well, the Raggies are going to be my first pedigree and indoor cats
(mainly because our last moggy wandered off without trace), and I know
the owner has a lot more responsibility for an indoor cat.

Thanks for the interesting and informative posting. I tried posting on a
mailing list about "does anybody else walk their cats?" and the only
response I got was someone saying she'd tried it, and the cat just
flopped down and refused to move. It's nice to realise it is actually
possible.
--
Woof B

[On feeding trolls]
Sometimes you can't help it, yannow? This post was certainly
particularly inane.
giggle True. But they're looking for a response and don't necessarily
care what it is. The best medicine is ignoring them.

pets and praise. (Sometimes I get frustrated and pick him up and place
him back on the sidewalk in the direction I wish to travel. MUCH easier
with a 10 lb. cat than a 75 lb. dog!!)

I'm going to get male neutered Ragdolls, could be quite big. I'm
assuming I'll have to rope my boyfriend in to walk the other one, as I
have severe doubts about my ability to restrain two large cats both
freaking out at once.

activities like eating. (*Always supervise*, btw--Otis has gotten the
collar portion caught in his mouth a couple of times.) Later came
I think the owner's meant to trail around after the cat disentangling it
at that stage -- to give the cat the impression it does not need to
panic, just wait for the owner.

As you say, outdoor training was quite different. My goal was to
maximize pleasureable events while not coddling for fear responses. I
used to put the boys in the tall grass and play hide-and-seek with them
(a huge hedge between us and the road prevented people and cars from
startling us).

Anyway...I have a feeling that most cats can adapt well to wearing a
harness to make short excursions onto the grass, at least. I think the
extra stimulation is worthwhile for an otherwise indoor kitty.
Well, the Raggies are going to be my first pedigree and indoor cats
(mainly because our last moggy wandered off without trace), and I know
the owner has a lot more responsibility for an indoor cat.

Thanks for the interesting and informative posting. I tried posting on a
mailing list about "does anybody else walk their cats?" and the only
response I got was someone saying she'd tried it, and the cat just
flopped down and refused to move. It's nice to realise it is actually
possible.
--
Woof B

[On feeding trolls]
Sometimes you can't help it, yannow? This post was certainly
particularly inane.
giggle True. But they're looking for a response and don't necessarily
care what it is. The best medicine is ignoring them.

pets and praise. (Sometimes I get frustrated and pick him up and place
him back on the sidewalk in the direction I wish to travel. MUCH easier
with a 10 lb. cat than a 75 lb. dog!!)

I'm going to get male neutered Ragdolls, could be quite big. I'm
assuming I'll have to rope my boyfriend in to walk the other one, as I
have severe doubts about my ability to restrain two large cats both
freaking out at once.

activities like eating. (*Always supervise*, btw--Otis has gotten the
collar portion caught in his mouth a couple of times.) Later came
I think the owner's meant to trail around after the cat disentangling it
at that stage -- to give the cat the impression it does not need to
panic, just wait for the owner.

As you say, outdoor training was quite different. My goal was to
maximize pleasureable events while not coddling for fear responses. I
used to put the boys in the tall grass and play hide-and-seek with them
(a huge hedge between us and the road prevented people and cars from
startling us).

Anyway...I have a feeling that most cats can adapt well to wearing a
harness to make short excursions onto the grass, at least. I think the
extra stimulation is worthwhile for an otherwise indoor kitty.
Well, the Raggies are going to be my first pedigree and indoor cats
(mainly because our last moggy wandered off without trace), and I know
the owner has a lot more responsibility for an indoor cat.

Thanks for the interesting and informative posting. I tried posting on a
mailing list about "does anybody else walk their cats?" and the only
response I got was someone saying she'd tried it, and the cat just
flopped down and refused to move. It's nice to realise it is actually
possible.
--
Woof B