Is the answer, never? I know a lot of people don’t like cats on a leash like a dog. I can understand that. Some of my esteemed colleagues on PoC don’t like them. Perhaps all of you don’t like them. I have to gently disagree on this occasion (rare).
Please give this video time to load! Sorry. It does work but a bit slowly. The video above shows an example of when a cat leash attached to a harness is appropriate. This is a public place and a glamorous cat. One has to modify one’s aspirations of letting a cat roam free under these circumstances.
The cat leash on a harness (as opposed to a collar) allows a person to provide outside enjoyment to a cat where the cat could not normally be allowed out because she is too valuable or simply because there are too many dangers. It is just a question of practicalities.
You could argue that any cat should be trained from a very young age to accept a harness. Then you could attach a leash to the harness and get used to taking a cat outside in the garden or even on the pavement on a leash, if the area is quiet. I remember seeing a cat on a leash in Paris, France in the 1970s. The person must have been very adventurous. Many people looked at her and her cat. I also remember an American lady visitor to the flats where I live walking her Siamese cat around the garden on a leash. She had brought her cat with her from America because she was staying for a long time. She was very successful at it and her cat was comfortable with it.
Early acclimatisation to a harness and leash would allow a cat some safe outside experiences under close supervision. The problem with cats on leashes is that cats don’t really cooperate. Initially, it requires a lot of effort from the cat’s human caretaker. Not many people have the time or the will to engage in that sort of effort.
The key is starting young, making it much easier. Think of the benefits. The millions of full-time indoor cats could smell the outside safely. There would be no reason for not letting your cat outside unless you are paranoid about something I have not foreseen. Isn’t it time to think of alternatives to full-time indoor living under increased urbanization and hazards from road traffic?
It might remove some of the argument for declawing a cat. People who declaw say their cats are full-time indoor cats and don’t need claws. That is obviously incorrect because claws do much more than defend a cat. A cat on a leash outside could justifiably require claws to defend herself.
I am just thinking aloud. I don’t see the big obstacles to placing a cat on a leash but as I say, you have to train a cat to accept the whole experience while young when a cat is much more accepting of a harness and a leash.
Conclusion: the reason why cats on leashes are rare has little to do with the cat. It is because people don’t want to be bothered. I can sympathise but it is not a good reason. Or is it to do with preconceptions about treating cats as cats and not as dogs? Cats on leashes are a big compromise. They are far from the ideal. However, we have to compromise and the need to compromise becomes ever more pressing with increases urbanisation. Another important point is that cat haters would be prevented from complaining and hurting outside cats. In some states in Australia they have a curfew on cats going out at certain times. Wouldn’t a cat on a leash get around that curfew?
Associated:
- Cat leash laws USA
- Some posts on leashes. Finn Frode used to walk his cat on leash. Finn, where are you? How are you? I miss you.
What can I say, we’ve had cats in our family constantly since 1974 they may only have been domestic cats but they have been of very “valuable” to us and we have never felt the need to put them on leashes or harnesses, but what we have done is consider if where we live was a suitable environment before getting a kitten so that there wasn’t the need to use restraints. I’ve never made a secret of the fact I don’t like cats to be on leashes, that is my opinion and I respect other people’s opinions who think differently. I think if where you live isn’t suitable for cats then perhaps you shouldn’t have them. Looking at the video I thought something wasn’t right (again in my humble opinion) and then I saw that in fact the cat is panting through it’s open mouth.
Just wanted to add that I like the way the little girl is using the leash, there’s no tightness ever and the cat is allowed to take the lead.
That Savannah, looks like a very strong animal.
Corny old saying from the world of humane horse training to promote never pulling any lead rope or leash tight –
“Keep a smile in the line and keep you and your horse safe and happy”
Works for any animal on a leash I think.
I’ve written before on how I have used harnesses for some adult cats for a specific purpose. With patience and understanding of the motivational drives of the cat it is possible to get a cat to walk, explore, jump, run and play on a harness without any tugging, pulling or overt and blunt training techniques. It has to be slow, it has to be cautious, it has to be kind. If it means the difference between a cat getting some outside time, and never experiencing fresh air, then I don’t see a problem with it. I have used it to socialise cats, keep an elderly cat active and safe outdoors and to teach a stray that his garden is the safest and best place to stay (apart from inside the house on the bed that is) 🙂
No I have never confused cats with dogs and I’ve been lucky never to personally witness a cat on a harness being treated like a dog.
Our dream of cats having total freedom, is I think going to diminish in achievability in the future. In the UK our society is becoming more and more dangerous for cats to roam free. I think large outdoor runs will become more common.
Twenty years ago, all of my cats were allowed 24hr access to the outdoors. Over the years with increasing dangers, that has been gradually nibbled away to them being allowed out only when I am here and there is now a curfew of 9pm (a bit earlier in winter) I am always up early, so their crepuscular tendencies can be accommodated. There have been too many poisonings, shootings, disappearances for me to allow my darlings out 24/7 now.
Every year some cats in the village end up dying a ghastly death due to anti-freeze poisoning. No one has been able to establish if this was deliberate or accidental.
Some of my neighbours dislike cats, but I have installed a couple of large sandboxes in the garden and have several clean litter trays inside to minimise complaints of cats eliminating in gardens where they are not welcome.
I guess I am lucky in that we don’t have compulsory leashing laws here. Though of course, any cat is vulnerable to a cat hater, in any country 🙁
Although cat leashing isn’t seen too much, it is the law here.
Any free roaming cat is subject to being snatched by animal control and taken to the kill shelter.
We always started out with our cats on some type of leash– we used to just make a harness out of yarn. Once the cat was used to us and used to outside and we were sure the cat would not get lost or run away we never used a harness again. I was the same with Monty, though I actually bought him a leash and harness. Once I knew he would not run away or get lost, I stopped using it. He accepted it immediately and used to purr when I put it on him. But once I discontinued using it it became difficult to convince him to wear it again. I insist on it if he wants to be out in front of the house though, because of the proximity to the road. He usually just prefers his fenced back yard. He could climb over the fence and leave, but he doesn’t. I still supervise him out there. Most people, I agree, just don’t want to be bothered with supervising a cat outside. They either confine the cat to indoors or just let him roam, which is irresponsible behavior in urban areas or in municipalities where allowing a cat to roam is against the law. It depends on where you live, but even were it not illegal here to let Monty roam I would not do it.
I agree with you Michael that there is a time and place for it. It is a result of other compromises and if done right is a benefit to the cat. Once you enter the world of not being able to let your cats out for safety reasons then any way to get them out is worth considering.