Do's and do not's for harness training..

[pookyandjo]

Hi all.. I always said that the next cat i got would be harness trained.... well now that i have HRH Princess Harri i need to start putting that plan into action before she gets too much older and decides that she doesn't want to be harness trained...
So.... to those of you who have harness trained your fury friend... how did you do it?.... how long did it take?.... what is the best way to do it with the minimum of fuss and stress for all involved?...any do's or do not's that i should know about..

[Phoenix]

It took us about 5 minutes for Dylan to get used to the harness, think he was already harness trained when we got him though.

Sit quietly talking to Princess Harri, then when she's calm start gently putting it on her. If she panics then it's best to leave the harness off, it will only distress her.

(We had that with Beauty with a COLLAR of all things, panicked and lost the collar outside)

[dandysmom]

The theory is, put it on them indoors and get them used to it gradually; offer a little treat afterwards so they associate it with something pleasurable. I've never gone by the book: just put it on, opened the door and cat either walked out on his own to explore the heretofor forbidden outdoors, or I picked up cat and plunked him outside. Worked for me. Best to start when they're kittens, they'll just take it for granted that this is the way we go outside. I did manage to harness train an adult who'd been allowed outside; a little harder but she was a smart cat and soon accepted it, albeit a bit reluctantly. The earlier the better. Opinions vary about what type of harness; my personal preference is the figure eight. Don't just attach a lead to a collar, they can slip out of it in a nanosecond when frightened.

They don't walk like dogs. Lots of sitting, claw-sharpening on trees and the occasional dash up one as far as the lead permits. Some are more adventuresome than others. Misty's idea of a nice "walk" was to stroll to the end of the driveway and just sit there watching the world go by, or go to the garden and lurk under the peonies in hopes of catching a sparrow. Both boys would walk all over the neighborhood as far as I'd let them...often two or three blocks away.

Do you have a leash law there for dogs? Free roaming ones can spook a nervous cat. Expect funny looks from passersby, most of whom have never seen nor heard of a harness trained cat. But I've met some nice people that way!

Sorry this is so long!

[angieh]

I was very pleased to read your "how to" Eileen. I have my nice purple harness and lead from random and intend to at least try to get the harness on Kizzy. She won't be allowed out for another 4 weeks yet. The harness looks a bit complicated and I am trying to work out which bits go where!

[dandysmom]

Oh, glad to hear Kizzy will be able to go walkabouts with mum; purple sounds like a good color to compliment her coat! You'll figure it out!

I forgot to add that it's a lovely bonding experience with your cat ..I looked forward to our walks as much as my cats did. Sultan especially was terribly disgruntled when the weather was too bad for his walk.

Also, this won't apply to you, but never try to walk two cats at th same time....will NOT WORK!!!

[harry25]

I'd love to see pictures of you out walking with your cats on harnesses, just to see the sorts of things they take interest in.

[dandysmom]

This is the only pic I have of Sultan, my Aby, walking on his harness.

[pamela81]

i think harris wants to be an outdoor cat, would putting him on a harness allow him to go outdoors but take away the urge for him to want to roam free? I would prefer him as t the an indoor cat but i get the feeling that he wants to go outside

[dandysmom]

I can only say it worked for four out of five with me, Pamela. Patches, the adult tortie still wanted to go outside; the others were happy with their daily excursions. As I said, start them young and they take it as a fact of life.

All cats are different as you know, so the above comes with no guarantee!