Training on a Harness & Leash

Up until now, I've just been lurking.

I have a 7 1/2 month old greyish brown mackerel tabby named Casey.

We want him to be an indoor cat, but he wants to go outside, attempts to
dart out sometimes, especially when we're letting the dogs out (3 of
them)...I think he's jealous cause they get to go out and he doesn't, as he
jumps up on the window ledge in the porch and watches what is going on..

Anyway, on to my question, as he's still young, and very much my baby (will
do anything for me, seems to be as much in love with me as I am), so,
wondering, any hints on easy ways to get him used to the harness and get him
trained on the leash so I can try taking him for walks..?

Thanks!
Carrie

The very best harness out there and leash training tips can be found
he
http://www.hdw-inc.com/walkingjackets.htm

Megan



"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do
nothing."

-Edmund Burke

Learn The TRUTH About Declawing
http://www.stopdeclaw.com

Zuzu's Cats Photo Album:
http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22

"Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one
elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and
splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then
providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision,
raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and
material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his
way."

- W.H. Murray

The very best harness out there and leash training tips can be found
he
http://www.hdw-inc.com/walkingjackets.htm

Megan



"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do
nothing."

-Edmund Burke

Learn The TRUTH About Declawing
http://www.stopdeclaw.com

Zuzu's Cats Photo Album:
http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22

"Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one
elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and
splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then
providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision,
raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and
material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his
way."

- W.H. Murray

The first step in the training would be to put the cat on a harness for a
few minutes each day so he can get used to it. Then extend the time to like
10-15 munutes per day. Just let the cat walk around in the harness. Then
when the cat is used to the harness attach the leash. Retractable leashes
often work best because the cat has a chance to go a little distance away
from the human. When you have gotten the cat used to the leash and harness,
I would then take him outside (with leash and harness attached of course)
and allow him to explore a bit. I did this with my cat Isis and it worked
out just fine.

--
Panther TEK: Staying On Top Of All Your Computer Needs!
www.members.cox.net/catprotector/panthertek

Cat Galaxy: All Cats, All The Time!
www.catgalaxymedia.com

"Carrie-Lou Salter" wrote in message
...
Up until now, I've just been lurking.

I have a 7 1/2 month old greyish brown mackerel tabby named Casey.

We want him to be an indoor cat, but he wants to go outside, attempts to
dart out sometimes, especially when we're letting the dogs out (3 of
them)...I think he's jealous cause they get to go out and he doesn't, as
he
jumps up on the window ledge in the porch and watches what is going on..

Anyway, on to my question, as he's still young, and very much my baby
(will
do anything for me, seems to be as much in love with me as I am), so,
wondering, any hints on easy ways to get him used to the harness and get
him
trained on the leash so I can try taking him for walks..?

Thanks!
Carrie

The first step in the training would be to put the cat on a harness for a
few minutes each day so he can get used to it. Then extend the time to like
10-15 munutes per day. Just let the cat walk around in the harness. Then
when the cat is used to the harness attach the leash. Retractable leashes
often work best because the cat has a chance to go a little distance away
from the human. When you have gotten the cat used to the leash and harness,
I would then take him outside (with leash and harness attached of course)
and allow him to explore a bit. I did this with my cat Isis and it worked
out just fine.

--
Panther TEK: Staying On Top Of All Your Computer Needs!
www.members.cox.net/catprotector/panthertek

Cat Galaxy: All Cats, All The Time!
www.catgalaxymedia.com

"Carrie-Lou Salter" wrote in message
...
Up until now, I've just been lurking.

I have a 7 1/2 month old greyish brown mackerel tabby named Casey.

We want him to be an indoor cat, but he wants to go outside, attempts to
dart out sometimes, especially when we're letting the dogs out (3 of
them)...I think he's jealous cause they get to go out and he doesn't, as
he
jumps up on the window ledge in the porch and watches what is going on..

Anyway, on to my question, as he's still young, and very much my baby
(will
do anything for me, seems to be as much in love with me as I am), so,
wondering, any hints on easy ways to get him used to the harness and get
him
trained on the leash so I can try taking him for walks..?

Thanks!
Carrie

"Carrie-Lou Salter" wrote in message
...
Up until now, I've just been lurking.

I have a 7 1/2 month old greyish brown mackerel tabby named Casey.

We want him to be an indoor cat, but he wants to go outside, attempts to
dart out sometimes, especially when we're letting the dogs out (3 of
them)...I think he's jealous cause they get to go out and he doesn't, as
he
jumps up on the window ledge in the porch and watches what is going on..

Anyway, on to my question, as he's still young, and very much my baby
(will
do anything for me, seems to be as much in love with me as I am), so,
wondering, any hints on easy ways to get him used to the harness and get
him
trained on the leash so I can try taking him for walks..?

Thanks!
Carrie



Try putting the harness on him without the leash, just so he can get used to
the feeling. My cat will often walk low to the ground, as though there were
a huge weight on her back, when I put her harness on after a great while
(which may only be a week or two). If I leave it on, though, she gets used
to the extra weight and starts walking normally.

Once Casey is used to the harness, you can attach the leash and see how he
responds to it. You might just want to let him lead you around, since that
is often what ends up happening, anyway. Don't expect to be able to lead
him as you would a dog, but be very happy if he lets you. If you want to
try leading him, just give a teeny tiny little pull (just enough for him to
feel a bit of pressure, but not so much that he chokes or gags) on the leash
(not a sudden jerk, but a pull that lasts a few seconds) and see if he
reacts to the pressure by following it. I am very lucky in that my cat will
go wherever I want her to go. I just pull a little on the leash and she'll
start walking whichever way I've pulled. I will usually walk a few feet
with her, then stop to let her roam around. If she looks like she wants to
walk a little further, I'll lead her a few feet more and let her roam around
again. I never go past our driveway because I don't want her to think it's
OK for her to go that far (just in case she gets out on her own by
accident).

Someone here once suggested carrying your cat from inside the house to the
outside when you take him out. Ideally, by doing so he'll think he can't go
outside by himself, but must be carried out. I don't know how well it works
for cats, but a friend of mine trained her dogs that way and it worked.

rona

--
***For e-mail, replace .com with .ca Sorry for the inconvenience!**

"Carrie-Lou Salter" wrote in message
...
Up until now, I've just been lurking.

I have a 7 1/2 month old greyish brown mackerel tabby named Casey.

We want him to be an indoor cat, but he wants to go outside, attempts to
dart out sometimes, especially when we're letting the dogs out (3 of
them)...I think he's jealous cause they get to go out and he doesn't, as
he
jumps up on the window ledge in the porch and watches what is going on..

Anyway, on to my question, as he's still young, and very much my baby
(will
do anything for me, seems to be as much in love with me as I am), so,
wondering, any hints on easy ways to get him used to the harness and get
him
trained on the leash so I can try taking him for walks..?

Thanks!
Carrie



Try putting the harness on him without the leash, just so he can get used to
the feeling. My cat will often walk low to the ground, as though there were
a huge weight on her back, when I put her harness on after a great while
(which may only be a week or two). If I leave it on, though, she gets used
to the extra weight and starts walking normally.

Once Casey is used to the harness, you can attach the leash and see how he
responds to it. You might just want to let him lead you around, since that
is often what ends up happening, anyway. Don't expect to be able to lead
him as you would a dog, but be very happy if he lets you. If you want to
try leading him, just give a teeny tiny little pull (just enough for him to
feel a bit of pressure, but not so much that he chokes or gags) on the leash
(not a sudden jerk, but a pull that lasts a few seconds) and see if he
reacts to the pressure by following it. I am very lucky in that my cat will
go wherever I want her to go. I just pull a little on the leash and she'll
start walking whichever way I've pulled. I will usually walk a few feet
with her, then stop to let her roam around. If she looks like she wants to
walk a little further, I'll lead her a few feet more and let her roam around
again. I never go past our driveway because I don't want her to think it's
OK for her to go that far (just in case she gets out on her own by
accident).

Someone here once suggested carrying your cat from inside the house to the
outside when you take him out. Ideally, by doing so he'll think he can't go
outside by himself, but must be carried out. I don't know how well it works
for cats, but a friend of mine trained her dogs that way and it worked.

rona

--
***For e-mail, replace .com with .ca Sorry for the inconvenience!**

Carrie-Lou Salter wrote:
Up until now, I've just been lurking.

I have a 7 1/2 month old greyish brown mackerel tabby named Casey.

We want him to be an indoor cat, but he wants to go outside, attempts to
dart out sometimes, especially when we're letting the dogs out (3 of
them)...I think he's jealous cause they get to go out and he doesn't, as he
jumps up on the window ledge in the porch and watches what is going on..

Anyway, on to my question, as he's still young, and very much my baby (will
do anything for me, seems to be as much in love with me as I am), so,
wondering, any hints on easy ways to get him used to the harness and get him
trained on the leash so I can try taking him for walks..?

Thanks!
Carrie



Once you expose him to more of the outside, he will want more.

I don't think going for a walk restricted by a leash is what your cat is
expecting either. He wants unrestricted freedom to explore that great
big world out there.

Ever think about building an outdoor cat enclosure / run that he has
access to from inside the house?

--
"Its the bugs that keep it running."
-Joe Canuck

Carrie-Lou Salter wrote:
Up until now, I've just been lurking.

I have a 7 1/2 month old greyish brown mackerel tabby named Casey.

We want him to be an indoor cat, but he wants to go outside, attempts to
dart out sometimes, especially when we're letting the dogs out (3 of
them)...I think he's jealous cause they get to go out and he doesn't, as he
jumps up on the window ledge in the porch and watches what is going on..

Anyway, on to my question, as he's still young, and very much my baby (will
do anything for me, seems to be as much in love with me as I am), so,
wondering, any hints on easy ways to get him used to the harness and get him
trained on the leash so I can try taking him for walks..?

Thanks!
Carrie



Once you expose him to more of the outside, he will want more.

I don't think going for a walk restricted by a leash is what your cat is
expecting either. He wants unrestricted freedom to explore that great
big world out there.

Ever think about building an outdoor cat enclosure / run that he has
access to from inside the house?

--
"Its the bugs that keep it running."
-Joe Canuck