How to Train Your Cat to Use a Harness and Leash

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If you own a cat and would like to take her for a walk, or to spend some nice quality time outside your house with your pet; if your feline friend is always at the window fascinated with the outside world, or if it has too much energy, and is always scratching your furniture and climbing everywhere, then you could try training your cat to use a harness and leash, so you can take her out for a walk, which will prove to be healthy for you and your pet.

The first thing you will need to do is to purchase a harness that is the right size for your cat; you should buy a flexible or adjustable 8 or H figure cat harness, or a kitty holster; to check if the fit is good, you should barely be able to introduce one of your fingers between the harness and your cat. You shouldn't use a collar and a leash on a cat, as they are very delicate animals, and you could harm its neck or throat by using these devices.

Once you have the appropriate harness, you can start training your cat to use it; this can be a long process, and at first your pet might reject the harness, so you should be very patient and supporting with your pet during this stage of the training. Remember that yelling or losing your temper will only prompt the animal to fear you. The first thing you need to do in this stage is to let your cat familiarize with the harness; you can leave it in a place where the cat will sniff, paw and play with it, just let the cat get to know the harness and leash and be comfortable around this items.

After a few days, put the jacket on the cat without the leash; do this before you feed your cat, so it will associate the event with something pleasant. During the first sessions of harnessing your cat, leave the adjustable straps at its loosest and tighten them as the cat becomes accustomed to the harness. Repeat this process several times a day. When you see that your cat is comfortable wearing the harness, attach the leash to it, and let your pet drag it around for a few minutes every session; be sure to be around to help your pet in case the leash gets stuck somewhere.

The last step is to make your cat be comfortable with you taking the leash; during the first times that you do this, let the cat walk freely and follow it with the leash in your hand. Do this inside your apartment or garage, but don't go outside with your cat yet. Once your cat feels comfortable start making short trips outside, to a quite spot with little canine and human traffic, in this way your feline friend will start feeling comfortable in the outside while you hold the leash. Do this every day and gradually increase the length of the walks; if the cat shows distress signs, pick her up and head home.

If you inform yourself and follow instructions to train your cat to use a harness and leash, you will be able to have nice and comfortable walks with your pet in no time, opening a new and exciting world of possibilities for you and your feline friend.

Esteban Bernechea is a chemical engineer currently working at the Center for Technological Risk Studies (CERTEC) in the Universidad Politécnica de Catalunya, to earn a phd in chemical processes.
If you need to purchase a cat harness, or just to check some information about how to train your cat to use a harness, or market prices of these products, you can check the following pages:

Cool Cat Harness
Buy Cat Harnesses

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