Harness Training
Part I
THIS is my cat Luna, the first cat I trained to wear a harness. She will go for walks, or go outside in the backyard on a long leash - long enough that she can walk the whole perimeter of the yard.
THIS is my cat Luna, the first cat I trained to wear a harness. She will go for walks, or go outside in the backyard on a long leash - long enough that she can walk the whole perimeter of the yard.
LUNA is now 7 years old and has been wearing her harness outdoors since she was 8 months old.
WHEN I first got her - she had been passed around 3 owners before she found her permanent home - it was at the beginning of a cold Spring and she had no interest in going outside. I thought I had an indoors cat.
BY the time Summer weather rolled round, and with people coming in and out of the house, she was either wailing loudly to go out, trying to escape or actually making it out. That's when I decided to give harness training a try. For her - fresh air, exercise, new sights, interesting smells. For me - not having to listen to her constant whining, and letting her go outside without having to worry that she might get hit by a car.
SURPRISINGLY, the process was not as difficult as I had imagined. I read a lot before hand to familiarize myself with the process. She acted just the way I was told she would.
THE FIRST time I put the harness on her she flopped on the floor and went into "the dieing fish" routine. I was told that on the first day the harness should only be on for 5-10 minutes and during that time to give her a treat. This I did. She stopped flopping just long enough to eat the treat.
DAY 2 The harness stayed on for 20 minutes. She flopped, she crawled on her belly (couldn't I see she couldn't walk?) and she got many, many treats.
DAY 3. The harness stayed on for an hour. She lay on the floor not moving, she couldn't walk, couldn't move. I got a piece of chicken (her favourite) and walked into the living room with it. A miracle, she found she could just make it that far.
BY DAY 7 she was wearing the harness for a couple of hours at a time without even being aware of it.
WHEN I first got her - she had been passed around 3 owners before she found her permanent home - it was at the beginning of a cold Spring and she had no interest in going outside. I thought I had an indoors cat.
BY the time Summer weather rolled round, and with people coming in and out of the house, she was either wailing loudly to go out, trying to escape or actually making it out. That's when I decided to give harness training a try. For her - fresh air, exercise, new sights, interesting smells. For me - not having to listen to her constant whining, and letting her go outside without having to worry that she might get hit by a car.
SURPRISINGLY, the process was not as difficult as I had imagined. I read a lot before hand to familiarize myself with the process. She acted just the way I was told she would.
THE FIRST time I put the harness on her she flopped on the floor and went into "the dieing fish" routine. I was told that on the first day the harness should only be on for 5-10 minutes and during that time to give her a treat. This I did. She stopped flopping just long enough to eat the treat.
DAY 2 The harness stayed on for 20 minutes. She flopped, she crawled on her belly (couldn't I see she couldn't walk?) and she got many, many treats.
DAY 3. The harness stayed on for an hour. She lay on the floor not moving, she couldn't walk, couldn't move. I got a piece of chicken (her favourite) and walked into the living room with it. A miracle, she found she could just make it that far.
BY DAY 7 she was wearing the harness for a couple of hours at a time without even being aware of it.
THE SECOND cat who came to stay was about the same age as Luna when she went into training. The process was exactly the same
THE THIRD cat moved in at Christmas time. When Spring came round the other two cats started going outside. She would sit on the cat perch watching them get into their harness. One day she jumped down and sat in front of the door waiting her turn. Luckily I had extra harnesses, and she was fitted into one and out she went. No training involved.
I am now living in another part of the country. The last two cats live with my brother, they are inseparable - the cats I mean.
A friend has taken in an abandoned 6 year old male cat. He is lovely. Right now he seems happy to stay in the house - he was hurt and starving when he turned up at her door, and he may always stay an indoors cat. But just in case he gets the urge, he has started wearing a harness for an hour or two most days. He will be ready if he decides he wants to venture out.
My website: http://www.catsread2.info/
My EBay bookstore: http://stores.ebay.ca/Mycatsread
A friend has taken in an abandoned 6 year old male cat. He is lovely. Right now he seems happy to stay in the house - he was hurt and starving when he turned up at her door, and he may always stay an indoors cat. But just in case he gets the urge, he has started wearing a harness for an hour or two most days. He will be ready if he decides he wants to venture out.
My website: http://www.catsread2.info/
My EBay bookstore: http://stores.ebay.ca/Mycatsread
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