Teaching Kittens to Walk on a Leash: Tips and Techniques for Success

If it is your wish to take your cat on outdoor activities, whether in the yard or out on the porch, you need to start by getting a harness and teaching her/him how to walk with a leash. In addition to walking your dog outdoors, leash training can also be helpful when you are traveling or taking him for a check-up at the vet’s. This means that they can contain themselves, so then go play at running around and this relieves a lot of boredom that causes behavioral problems. It can be super fun for you and your cat, if your pet is into it.

An adventure cat is not a breed but a lifestyle for living with cats. An outdoor-enabling cat — or an adventure cat, as a new sub-breed is sometimes called. If a cat is properly socialized to humans, other cast & animals (e.g., introduced to harness and leash training at an early age) then any cat with an amenable temperament can become an adventure cat. Now, what is the best way to start with leash training a cat?

 

Why You Want to Leash Train Your Cat

While indoor cats are limited to around 40 square yards within the home, outdoor cats can range across territories up to 150 acres, as that is the approximate hunting range of a wild cat. However, this liberty is fraught with great vulnerabilities. One of the common ways that outdoor cats can meet their end is cat fights, as well as infectious disease and injuries caused by car accidents; they live on average half the amount of time than indoor-only cats. Due to these dangers, the vet recommends that you should not allow your cat outside to roam.

That is what leash training provides a response to. Letting your cat explore while wearing a harness — indoors, ideally — can offer them mental stimulation and movement without actual exposure to outdoor threats like vehicles or other animals. It is also a way to prevent health problems typically associated with the indoor sedentary lifestyle that today’s knowledge workers are living.

Basic Cat Walking Supplies

Some of the necessary things you must have while going to hike with your cat.

1. A well-fitting, secure harness

You should be sure to use a harness that is more difficult for your cat to escape from. Does not use a neck collar to attach the leash as doing so could lead to choking or injury should your cat decide to run? If a collar is for identification, harnesses are all about safety and control. Measure your cat well and testate with different harnesses to find the most recommended for him. A back clip is my preference for a leash attachment on this type of harness.

 

2. A Leash

The leash is included in the best cat harnesses but you may need to buy it separately if it’s not present. There is a wide range of cat leashes out there, so no matter what your cat wants to get walking and some cats might want to stick with the bungee style lead that will allow them some wriggle room while still keeping you attached until they have gotten eased in their new form of workout.

3. Rewards

• To vacation your cat while outside, his favorite snack.
• Small treats
• Playing in front of the cat with a toy.
• Another play wand
• You can enjoy a laser beam movement for your cat.

How to Walk Your Cat on a Leash

So, while training a younger cat to walk with a harness is often easier, any cat can learn to adapt if trained right. However, the big takeaway is to simply be patient and yes, sometimes puppies or kittens who are naturally more reserved will come around before those too stimmed up like Max. When it comes to the methods you are doing while training, positive reinforcement (as mentioned earlier in terms of using treats and praise back here) is going to be a huge help when dealing with harness training each step.

1. Consult Your Veterinarian

Please ensure at the beginning of practical application, that your cat is good tempered and in top physical condition for outdoor activities. Speaking with your vet when discussing your newborn baby will help him or her provide advice on some of the most important things to keep in mind as you prepare for the arrival, including:

• Keeping Away Fleas, Ticks and Heartworms
• Vaccinations
• Deworming

 

In addition to that, make sure your cat is sterilized and microchipped for safety when it comes going outdoor.

2. Enhancing Outdoor Enrichment

If your cat is the curious and energetic type it seems that he would feel like having a change in environment or does your cat shrink away from challenges in hiding at home?

If some cats are shy, they need to be introduced bit by bit from the outside to feel good reluctance. A catio is a wonderful solution that allows your cat to explore outside safely, at her own pace.

If your cat does go outside, you are exposing them to a lot of fear-inducing stimuli they will not have at home such as foreign noises, smells, sights, people and animals. The idea is to create a positive and secure package that does not contain the wallet perception of your cat.

3. A Harness

If that’s the case, first introduce the harness to your cat (without leash). This should be done inside, a place your cat feels safest in and before they start walking outside.

Let your cat sniff and sniff the harness. You can use Feliway Calming Spray or even catnip to motivate it, making it more eye-catching.

Put the harness on your cat slowly and softly, and while they are calm you can give them rewards of food or snacks. If your cat is calm then secure the straps and buckles. Keep your cat well rewarded with treats, and toys or play during this process. Take the harness off as soon as your cat starts calming down again.

Continue this training for a few weeks then introduce the leash. You may have to adjust the harness a few times until you get it just right. It needs to be tight enough that your cat will not be able to get out of it, but not squeezing them uncomfortably.

4. Attach the Leash

Introduce the leash gradually, starting off simply by attaching it to the harness and allowing your cat to drag it around the floor. Do not hold on to or pull the leash when you pick it up. You would instead gently shadow your cat and keep the leash loose. The secret in leash training a cat is: let the CAT lead you where it wants to go. Practice this inside, loose leash walking until your cat free walks while you hold the leash.

5. Guide Your Cat

First use a treat, toy, target stick or laser pen to gently guide your cat.  Have a simple loose lead and follow them around. Congratulate your cat and treat them with yummy snacks.

While leading your cat, call them in a low and silken voice so they’ll go after you. You would also need this skill in case there is a chance you will have to lead your cat ever outside on an exploration.

If your cat stops or changes direction when the leash is tight, release the tension immediately and lure them back using a toy. Do this in other rooms with different distractions to further prove the good behavior.

6. Venture Outdoors

Once you are confident your cat fully understands walking on a leash, choose an outdoor location where you are assured it can be done safely and quietly with no chance of escape. Place the cat inside the carrier, making sure their harness is on. Once you arrive, open the carrier to see if your cat will come out and walk around in their new environment.

Initially some cats might seem wary, and it may take a few things before they show interest in getting out of the carrier on their own. By contrast, some may eagerly jump out and take you over to their favorite places. Just walk behind your cat slowly and steady and allow them to discover on their own when your cat starts to show interest.

7. Establish a Routine

If the first day out in your new garden goes off without a hitch, plan an adventure for every day. At this point, you will not have to train your cat with the indoor harness anymore because chances are, he or she will start expecting these moments and meowing wildly as a constant reminder for you to go out.

If you create a regular practice out of it, both you and your cat find it to be fun for everyone involved.

 

Training Your Cat to Wear a Harness

• Use only positive reinforcement, and never punish your cat.
• Avoid yanking on the leash.
• After placing the harness on your hairy friend just before leaving the house to prevent his escape.
• Never leave your cat tied up anywhere, especially outdoors.
• Use a carrier instead of a leash.
• Do not take them for walks in areas that are home to predators like Eagles or Owls as it can be difficult to protect your cat from bigger dangers.
• Observe your cat’s body language carefully. Your cat should be eager and enjoying the experience — sniffing, exploring, scratching trees, chasing butterflies. Similarly, If your cat tries to run away or hide from you when you attach the leash to their collar and try to take them outside, that means they are not ready for a walk on a leash.