Cat leashes

Do any of you use cat leashes? It seems so weird to me because cats don't tend to be trained....and they really don't like to be forced to do things. I have seen people "walking" their cats, though.

 

I have seen tons of cats on leashes in large cities. It's one of the few times those kitties get to go outside. I don't get people who take their cats for walks when they have the space to roam out back. That's mind boggling.

 

Neither of my cats will tolerate a harness or leash of any kind but the brother of my newest kitten apparently loves it. Shortly after his adoption, the man that adopted him actually brought him to a bar that I was at one night (outside of course) and the cat was perfectly content to be hanging out on a leash. Apparently his new owner is always taking him for car rides and walking him around the neighborhood.

 

I have only seen a few cats on leashes. One was the pet of a coffee shop owner. He had a white cat with big dark brown patches. This cat was often leashed to a small tree just by the side of the shop. I did ask the owner once about the cat and he told me that it was a Burmese.

 

Ive took my cats out on leashes! My cats are Raggamuffins, and way too docile to be outdoor cats. So usually, during the summer, I let them outside with me on a leash and they love it. So much easier to catch them with a leash!

 

Where I used to live, Persians must never be let out without leashes. Otherwise they have a weird tendency to disappear into thin air. Really vanish without a single trace. Never to ever return again.

 

I would never take a Persian outside anyway. They have such long, gorgeous hair. I wouldn't want to get them dirty or anything in their fur at all. And yeah, I would expect one to be stolen in a heartbeat if they were left unattended.

 

I can't bring myself to take our cats for a walk on a leash. It's a size/proportion thing I guess, it just seems like it would look so silly, kind of like walking your pet hamster down the street on a leash. That said, we do use collars and leashes on our cats when we let them roam the backyard. We let them walk around freely, dragging the leash along with them. It's just nice to have in case they try to take off, sometimes it might be hard to catch them, but you can at least grab a hold of the leash.

 

My reason behind not letting them out is similar to the Persian comment, they have such beautiful hair, they would come in with all types of stuff stuck in them. I have also read online that Raggamuffins are way to gentile to be left alone outside, so its leashes all the way!

For example:

 

My fiancee was doing research on our black cat (Havana mix) that she saved four years ago and experts say these cats can be walked outside. It's interesting (the clip even showed the black cat walking around in the sand). Our other cat hates going outside of this apartment door and would never do it. I personally would never because I want these guys to live forever.

 

A cat I used to have, yes. He loved going outside and before I trusted him enough to let him out and be sure he'd come back on his own, I used a leash. It's a nice way to let them get fresh air, but still know where they are and that another animal, car, or person hasn't gotten a hold of them. He wasn't the biggest fan of the leash, but he liked it better than not being allowed outside.

I've only put one of my current cats on a leash when I moved cross-country. Whenever we stopped for any reason, I put her on a leash so she wouldn't get out in some unknown town. She refuses to get in a pet carrier without throwing a fit, fighting, and crying, so I let her run around the car otherwise. She mostly just laid on the floorboard or climbed my luggage in the backseat.

 

I'll echo the sentiment that cats in the larger cities are the only ones I've seen need a leash. Some people might also leash their pets if they're visiting family who live in a city area or when taking them to a boarding kennel or pet sitter. Our cats don't need to be leashed because we live in the countryside and they have a lot of woods and fields to roam in. When they have to be boarded we put them in cat carriers so, still no need for a leash.

 

I agree with what you're saying and I think having cats on leashes is a nice safety measure. Better than just letting them run free in unknown territory. I bet your cats are happy that they have so much room to roam freely!

 

Yes, I can see a need for city cats to be put on leashes when they go outside. There simply are too many things which can do harm to a cat in the city.

In the countryside, cats have a much better quality of life. They are free to roam anywhere and they can fend for themselves most of the time. Even dogs are not a big danger because there are plenty of trees around that cats can climb into to get away from any chasing dogs.

 

The tree thing is good for the cats! We had trees where I used to live, but my cat would never climb them. Which was very strange, as he climbed everything in the house. My dogs outside learned to tolerate him after an incident when my Yellow Lab barked at him and he quickly scratched him across the muzzle instead of running away. They never fought or chased each other again!

 

I've seen countless owners taking cats for walks in my city. If I owned a cat that didn't mind a harness I would consider walking it outside as there are now lots of territorial cats in my area which fight and I'd feel safer watching my cat while it was outdoors. Luckily there are lots of big rooms for a cat to explore inside my home.

 

Where do you live, tajnz, if you don't mind me asking? I'm curious if maybe it's a difference of countries or if it just varies by cities a lot.

If I lived in the city, I wouldn't be taking my cats outside anyway. I'd just keep them indoors.

 

Hi Jessi, I live in New Zealand. I live in the capital city but out in a quiet suburb so there is plenty of space and a garden for cats to roam around. The only problem is two of my neighbours cats see my garden as their territory and would probably threaten a new cat. They are smallish to medium size cats so perhaps if I got a larger cat like a Maine Coon it would't be theatened.

 

I found another cat leash photo that seems more like how my cat would be:



There is no way she wouldn't get herself all tangled up. The difference is, she would be freaking out at that point instead of looking at the camera so calmly.

 

So my mother puts her cocker spaniel on a tie-out at night and he does this sometimes. It's equal parts sad and hilarious!