Walking Your Cat

There's nothing strange about taking a dog for a walk, but taking a cat, well that's a whole new game. However, taking a cat for a walk is not as difficult as it may seem. With a little patience and a very secure cat harness, it is possible.

Many people believe that cats should be kept indoor at all times, so that precious wildlife is protected. Cats can be notorious killers of small animals and birds and keeping them indoors is a great way to keep them under control. But do cats miss being outdoors? Are they being deprived of some inbuilt instinct to hunt and capture their prey?

An easy way to overcome this is to let your cat outdoors, but only if he is fully under control. There are a few steps to take that will eventually allow you to take your cat outdoors, in a safe and secure manner.

Start by purchasing a cat harness and lead. These are available from your local veterinarian or pet supply store. If they don't have any in stock, you can also use a very small dog harness, the size that is appropriate for a Chihuahua.

Introduce the harness to your cat slowly, leaving it near his bed and food bowls on a regular basis, over a period of days. Attempt to put the harness on your cat when he no longer appears interested in it. Continue putting the harness on for a two-week period, until your cat accepts the harness as part of his daily routine.

The final step is to lead your cat outside, for a small period of time. Each day, increase the amount of time spent outside. After a week or two of this, your cat should be very comfortable with the harness and with being outside.

If you have reached this step, congratulations. You can now start to slowly walk your cat for short distances. Fairly soon your cat will be sitting at the front door waiting for you to take it for a walk.

Walking your cat is a great way to relieve his boredom and give him some exercise at the same time. It can stimulate his senses, exercise his body and hopefully save some of your household furniture from scratches. Give it a go. Your cat will thank you for it. Just remember to keep your cat away from dogs because some dogs are not friendly to cats. You don’t want anything to happen to “Kitty” do you?

Until next time,

Teia