Adding The LeashTHE first time I clicked the leash onto the harness, she turned into a swayback. Once again she would barely move - that leash was soooo heavy. I didn't attempt to walk her, just left the leash attached to the harness and went away for 10-15 minutes.
DID that for a few days leaving the leash on longer each time, until she decided she could walk after all. That's when I picked up the leash and walked around the house with her.
IT wasn't fun.
THOSE walks indoors taught me some very important rules of walking a cat.
DID that for a few days leaving the leash on longer each time, until she decided she could walk after all. That's when I picked up the leash and walked around the house with her.
IT wasn't fun.
THOSE walks indoors taught me some very important rules of walking a cat.
FIRST AND FOREMOST
ALWAYS REMEMBER THIS RULE
NEVER, NEVER, NEVER WALK AHEAD OF YOUR CAT
EVERY cat learns almost immediately that if she plants her front paws on the ground and stands firm or pulls back, the harness will come right over her head, and she's FREEEEEE!
SECOND RULE
FOR WHEN YOU FORGET THE FIRST RULE
FOR WHEN YOU FORGET THE FIRST RULE
And I did, many times. I'm a slow learner.
NEVER chase your cat, they will run, and they can run faster than you.
ALWAYS carry some of your cats favourite treats in your pocket. (My second cat's favourite treats were salmon or sardines. You can imagine what I smelled like.) We soon had the street to ourselves.
WALK TOWARDS THEM SLOWLY, offering them treats, and when they do finally respond, PRAISE LAVISHLY.
WALK TOWARDS THEM SLOWLY, offering them treats, and when they do finally respond, PRAISE LAVISHLY.
The progression.
Walk around the house.
Walk around the enclosed Backyard
Open the gate and let them decide if they wanted to go out to the street.
WHEN I opened the gate Luna stuck her tail straight up in the air and pranced out like a Queen. She then expected to be taken out every day.
WALKING a cat is nothing like walking a dog. When I walked the dog for half an hour we covered blocks. Walking Luna for the same length of time we barely made half a block. She was out to explore, eat grass, sniff something, move on, decide she better go back and sniff the same spot again, and again. Sometimes she decides she'll just sit down and watch the world go by. It can be really boring walking a cat.
WHEN I first started walking my cat, she was one of the few. People pointed her out and came over to pet her. She loved it.
Walk around the house.
Walk around the enclosed Backyard
Open the gate and let them decide if they wanted to go out to the street.
WHEN I opened the gate Luna stuck her tail straight up in the air and pranced out like a Queen. She then expected to be taken out every day.
WALKING a cat is nothing like walking a dog. When I walked the dog for half an hour we covered blocks. Walking Luna for the same length of time we barely made half a block. She was out to explore, eat grass, sniff something, move on, decide she better go back and sniff the same spot again, and again. Sometimes she decides she'll just sit down and watch the world go by. It can be really boring walking a cat.
WHEN I first started walking my cat, she was one of the few. People pointed her out and came over to pet her. She loved it.
AFTER a year or two I started noticing other cats in the neighbourhood, cats that had either been totally indoor cats and some that had been free to roam, walking around their front yard on a leash.
IN the beginning, my cats only went outside when I did, so that I could keep an eye on them. Later on, when I knew their habits, I would let them out when I was working in the kitchen where I could see the whole backyard and could just glance out the window to make sure all was well. Once when I went for walk I saw a cat that had been put out on a leash and then left unsupervised. He had decided to dig a hole to China in their front yard. It was huge, and he was systematically going round his creation making it bigger and bigger.
MULTIPLE cats on long ropes in the backyard means multiple entanglements. I've spent a lot of time untangling ropes. I wish I could find the picture I took of what looked like a giant spider's web in the back yard. The 3 cats had intertwined their ropes so many times and then all pulled in different directions. It was actually quite beautiful and a horror to get undone.
IN the beginning, my cats only went outside when I did, so that I could keep an eye on them. Later on, when I knew their habits, I would let them out when I was working in the kitchen where I could see the whole backyard and could just glance out the window to make sure all was well. Once when I went for walk I saw a cat that had been put out on a leash and then left unsupervised. He had decided to dig a hole to China in their front yard. It was huge, and he was systematically going round his creation making it bigger and bigger.
MULTIPLE cats on long ropes in the backyard means multiple entanglements. I've spent a lot of time untangling ropes. I wish I could find the picture I took of what looked like a giant spider's web in the back yard. The 3 cats had intertwined their ropes so many times and then all pulled in different directions. It was actually quite beautiful and a horror to get undone.
I have started a website with more information about keeping cats safe outdoors. Please have a look. http://www.catsread2.info/
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