I have heard that with a lot of work, it is possible to leash-train your cat, but I cannot picture a cat walking down the sidewalk with their master holding their leash just like a dog.
Has anyone out there leash-trained their cat? How was it? Does your cat walk alongside you like a dog? Does your cat get easily spooked and try to run away?
I do not believe it is a good idea to walk just any cat. In order to walk at a certain fast pace for long distance, the animal must have high energy level and high stamina. Most animal species in the cat family do not have good stamina for keep walking long distance at fast pace.
The only cat I know capable of being walked is Savannah cat which is a cross breed with wild African cat. This cat breed has high energy level and they love to go out, and unlike other cats they also love water.
I had a cat once that I put on a harness and a leash. I would let her ride on my shoulders. Because my hair was long, she loved to go under it to feel more secure. She loved going out with me like that. I took her everywhere I could. She was my best pal and we had a lot of good times together. I started her out on the harness and leash when she was a kitten so that she got use to the idea of it being on. I would also take her out with me in the beginning for short walks so that she would get use to the outdoors too. Eventually, she loved going out with me and looked forward to picking up the kids from school everyday.
My parents had one cat that they would put a harness on and a leash and just walk her around the yard. They live in the woods so they didn't want to just let her out because she might run away and get eaten by some wild animal so keeping her on the leash was both safe for her as well as enabling them to give her some extra exercise and fresh air because she loved being outside. I definitely wouldn't try to walk a cat down the street the same way people walk their dogs however.
I agree! I can't even fathom why someone would want to put a cat on a leash. I'm pretty sure that the cat would become uncomfortable and irate. When cats get angry they become very wild and there is no stopping them. A leash wouldn't be ale to control them. I am just laughing at the thought of an owner walking their cat outside and the cat gets upset. I am picturing the cat run and jumping up and down; tangling their owner with the leash. It definitely wouldn't be a pretty sight. I have never seen anyone put a leash on their cat nor have I ever seen an owner walk their cat. Personally, I don't think cats need to be walked because they are not energetic or care to see the outdoors. All they want to do is lay down or play with their yarn, while laying down.
All 3 of my current cats are leash trained because it is a safe way to let them go outside while being supervised. Mine took to it quite well actually. My cats do not walk next to me like a dog in fact we don't go for walks like I do with my dog, we just stick around the yard. A lot of people don't realize that most owners who do leash train their cats do not go for walks like a dog, they let the cat go where they want and then bring them back in. While some owners do actually take a walk with their cat its not common its more common to just stick around yard.
My cats will walk on the leash, but no where near as good as a dog! They will usually come if you call them, or shake the leash a little. Sometimes I have to give them a gentle pull though. The leashe for my cats is just basically to stop them running away whilst they play outside - nothing more than that, I don't really think I could go take them for a walk!
I had one cat that was trained to walk on a leash but for the most part he would just lay on the ground and enjoy the grass.
It took some time for him to adjust to the harness being on him but once he did he did get outside with me more.
Even if he just hung out in the grass on less net to me I thought it was worth the time getting hissed to it because was at lest outside with me. And I enjoyed that, and so did he.
I use a leash for my cat. She's escaped through an open door before when it was dark outside, and she took off. We live in an area with woods directly behind us and a busy road in front of us. It's not exactly the best place for an indoor cat to wander around in! I put her leash on when I go in the backyard to relax or garden. She sits and waits by the door for her leash, and when it's on she scurries outside and usually plops down in a patch of sunlight and takes a nap. Sometimes I'll walk her up and down the sidewalk in front of the house, but she usually ventures into the grass and starts eating it! People laugh when they see a cat on the leash, but it's the best option for her. Chasing her around in the woods at 2 a.m. was not fun!
I am actually planning on buying my cat a halter today. She's bored in the house, but I live in the city and don't want her to get hit by a car. I'll feel stupid walking a cat, but I think it's the best choice for her. I'm just planning to take her on our patio, but if she went over our fence the insane lady next door might hurt her.
I had a Siamese that was very comfortable on a leash. It's one that showed up at my house and after trying to find the owner with an ad posted in the paper for a month and watching for an ad, I kept him. I tried a leash on him when travelling and taking him out at a rest area for some fresh air. He acted like it was nothing, so I walked him around and he acted like it was no big deal. After that I only put him on a leash a few times to show friends and family, since they couldn't believe it.
We put a collar and leash on our cats but let them roam the yard on their own. If we see one of them taking off after something, we can at least grab the leash. They're pretty good about staying in the yard though and not wandering off. I don't walk our cats down the street though. They're not like dogs, they're pretty stubborn about doing what they want to do and that generally doesn't include going for walks with you.
I tired the leash thing once for my cat and the experience was not good. She was amazed at the outside world (because she was 100% an indoors cat) but lazy about the experience and stubborn. She would walk and get freaked out then would lay down and I would try to get her up again but it just seemed like I was dragging her, so it was not productive at all.
I had one cat that was leash trained, but my current cat isn't. My previous cat (Daria) was very dominant and a little aggressive, and loved being outdoors. I would take her across the street so that she could play in the tall grass in front of the high school. She occasionally got mad at me for not letting her chase little dogs, but she loved it. We didnt go for a traditional walk; it was more like letting her go outside to hide and jump around in the grass.
My current cat, however is not built for this type of activity. Jane freaks out any time she has to leave the house, even for a few seconds. She whines and cries, and if its a long journey, she will eventually find somewhere to sit and shake (the opposite of Daria, who was mesmerized by semi trucks). Jane is a cat with a delicate disposition. She also walks around like she's dying whenever she's put in a harness. She pretends like she can't stand up straight any time she sees you're watching her. So no walkies for Jane...
I am not a fan of people walking their cats on a leash (only saw it once) and would not do it. When I saw it the man was walking his cat along a crowded city street during rush hour. All I could think of was how unfair that it to the cat, and even the pedestrians, because everyone had to stay out of the way of the cat and the kitty had to dodge the walkers. In addition to that obvious risk of the cat being stepped on I think there are a myriad of other safety concerns. What if a dog or even squirrel is around and becomes agitated by the cat and attacks it? A big concern was the cat's paws on the sidewalk, I do not think cats have the type of paws that can withstand significant heat or rough surfaces. At the end of the day I think there are other ways to entertain your cat and exercise it.
My husband and I want to get a harness and leash for one of our cats. She was a stray/rescue cat when we got her, and had spent a lot of time outdoors, but we don't let our cats outside for safety reasons. We feel bad keeping her confined, and she is super friendly/affectionate toward strangers, so we're thinking of bringing her out to the park or something. Not really to bring her for "walks", per se, but to just bring her outside with us. I think she would love it. The only issue is making sure to get a harness/leash that doesn't have a breakaway on it. Don't want her escaping from us!
When I was younger I had a cat who was a little over weight (She gained a lot of weight after she was neutered) and she always wanted to go outside. We got her a harness so she can be in the backyard but after 5 minutes, she somehow slipped out of it. I'm not saying that they are not safe because they have improved since 1998, but I think that your cat will appreciate going outside. I don't think that you should really "walk" them but let them go around the yard because the grass is really good for them and they get fresh air. Ever since my first cat, which was the over weight one that we called Kiki aka "Fat Cat", almost every other cat I had always went outside without a harness or leash. Ozzy, Toby, Laylo, and Patches all went out side regularly, never wandered away from the house, and always came back when they were ready. They even brought us back a few presesnts... well dead rodents really. But, in my opinion I think it is ok to use a harness or leash if you are afraid to let them out alone(especially if you live in a city, i live in the valley with not so much). I'm not saying to let your cats out either.. I am just sharing my story and giving my opinion. Thank you if you read my post too.. it's a little long
Many years ago I had a cat that would walk on a leash. The first thing I did to train it to walk was put a harness on my cat with the leash attached and let it wear in around the house. At first, he hated it but in just a few days accepted the leash. Then we walked around inside the house. After a few days of that we started going outside and walked around the yard. Before long we were walking around the neighborhood. It always attracted a lot of attention from both adults and children. He got to a point where he really enjoyed his walks and would jump up in my lap if I picked up the leash.
I want to walk my cat. Just short distances. I think he'd honestly like it too since he likes to join me if I'm outside, and will actually meow and paw at the door to our deck when I'm out there. At the same time, he gets nervous if he's outside/separated from me for too long. Once, I accidentally locked him out after he slipped outside, and he ended up meowing outside the door an hour later. Another time, he chased a stray cat he saw outside, realized where he was, and freaked out and hid under my car.
So, I think a leash could be good for us to hang outside together. The problem is, he absolutely hates it, and goes dead limp like most cats. I recently bought a new harness that was actually marketed as a small dog harness. The straps are wider and I think give my cat less of a sense of being tied up, and he's much more relaxed. I'm training him gradually with him just walking around the house in the harness without the leash, praising him and petting him and feeding him his favorite treats to create a positive association with the harness. I hope to then add the leash at some point, then start taking him outside. From everything I've heard, training a cat takes a lot longer than training a dog, so I'm prepared for this to take months.
RE: Walking the cat 
