Sadly, I was unable to bear the palpable misery my girl gave out whenever I tried to strap her into her harness. I started her as a young kitten, but she would scratch at the harness, and try so hard to get it off. If unsuccessful, she'd sit there and cry until I felt so sorry for her that I had to take it off again. Therefore, no harness, no leash, and I have to carry her around when we go walkies. I have a neighbor though, who takes his cat for walks by just letting him loose and calling his name every so often. The cat would get distracted by bushes and smells and the guy would call out, "come on, Buddy," and Buddy the cat would trot on over to his side. I always thought that was an ideal situation, as long as your cat is trained to come when called and is willing to do so. My kitty comes when I call her, more-or-less, but I've never had a cat who would come reliably without the sound of a can opener to help out.
