Thread: How do you get an adult cat to wear a leash?

Well I don't know how your cat is first hand, but I will just say it has not been something I have personally ever seen work. I attempted to put a leash on my cat once so I could take her out of her carrier but not have her wander off when we went to the vet and, even still being a kitten at the time, she was.. not happy to say the least. First, she spent about 10 minutes doing everything in her power to thrash around and remove the leash, and then when she gave up she just threw herself on the ground, basically turned herself into a lead weight and completely refused to move. If I tried to pull on the leash she would just sit there and glare at me. I got the hint and took the leash off. So my guess is, kitten or not, cats don't seem to dig leashes all that much. lol

There's not much hope. I have 1 cat who will sort of walk while he's leashed, but not where I want him to, and the others just lay down and sulk if they're on a leash. It's probably best for your kitty to stay inside where it's safe- cats are also good at slipping out of collars and harnesses, and you don't want him getting loose in the city.

First, use a harness--a collar won't work well because the cat will either wiggle out of the collar or it might choke if it doesn't want to go where you want it to (like, go inside after it's walk). Buckle it on the cat indoors and make sure it fits snuggly but not too tight--you don't want the cat uncomfortable but you don't want it loose so the cat can wiggle out (and they are good at that). Let the cat wear the harness for a few minutes, take it off. Later in the day, put the harness on again, let it wear it for a few minutes, take it off. Do that for a few days (keeping it on longer each day). Then attach the leash and let the cat drag the leash around (short periods only). Once he is no longer fearful of the leash, pick the leash handle up and walk around the house with the cat so he gets the idea that you are controlling things. I usually take the cat out (usually a porch or a yard) just for a few minutes so it starts relating the harness-leash to going outside. As he gets used to being on the leash outside, you can stay out longer. But before you go outside the yard, make sure you are prepared to pick him up if a dog-off-leash should come along or other threat. And make sure the cat cannot Houdini out of his harness. It can be done, I've trained all my cats (except my current very large male who's chest is too big for the biggest cat harness and the next size dog harnesses are too heavy for a cat--he's scared of outside anyway). It gets way easier once they realize that when you rattle the harness/leash, it means they are going outside (but then it gets hard to get them to come back in--be prepared to pick up your cat when it's time to go home because they often aren't ready to come in). And make sure your cat already has all his shots.

I would suggest let your cat wear harness instead of collar as their neck is smaller than dogs so it is likely that they would struggle out of the collar. Another important issue is made sure it has annual shots and put on frontline before bringing it out!

You usually have to start these kinds of things when they are young, so that will be all they have ever known. Doing it as an adult, you just have to do it everyday, and reinforce it as much as possible.

good luck is all i can say.
they practically refuse to wear anything.
my cat is lucky enough to wear a collar
but idk why though cause she's not an outside one

If you buy a regular harness, chances are 99% that the cat will immediately fall over on its side and refuse to move. Been there, done that.

Instead get something called a "walking jacket." My cats actually like to wear them--they sit still and are very happy to let me put them on. We use them for travelling and vet visits rather than walks, although I have done that a few times in the past.
http://metpet.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/walkingjacket.html

Don't expect the cat to heel and walk like a dog. It's more like she'll walk you. But with the walking jacket and leash she can dart around and smell everything and have a good time in the park. As long as you make sure it's fit properly and snugly, it's very secure. Anything else my cats have quickly wriggled out of, including a standard harness. I would NOT take them outside on anything else.

BTW, don't get the large. The standard size is enough for virtually every cat. This really is a great product, one of the few things I'd actually do a customer endorsement for if anyone ever asked me to.

Oh, and both cats were adults when I first put the walking jacket on them. They took to them instantly. When I go to the vet everyone always asks where to get one.

(ps--I see the cat pictured in the about.com article someone linked to above is wearing a purple walking jacket!)