Is walking your cat on a harness and lead cruel?

There is an article in The Sun newspaper today which reports that the RSPCA have criticised the trend of training indoor cats to go for a walk on a lead to allow them to experience some of the outdoor smells and sights. It is a trend because it’s a trend also to keep cats indoors to protect wildlife and to protect cats and to allow caregivers to be less nervous about their cats when they wander around outside. Some Aussie jurisdications mandate indoor cats.

There are a lot more full-time indoor cats nowadays and there are more sales of leads nowadays as well. The Sun reports that sales of cat leases are soaring with 6000 searches per month for lead including kitten harnesses. Pet insurers Waggel conducted the research. They said there’s a “growing divide among cat owners and whether to keep cats indoors will allow them to roam.”

But the RSPCA say that:

“Some cats may be frightened by the experience of being on a lead. It may be more difficult for them to be able to move away or hide from stressful situations like being approached by a dog off the lead.”

Correct. But this is not a reason not to do it or try it out. Jackson Galaxy, I think, refers to the RSPCA or some other rescue org (he does not say the name for politeness reasons as he criticises them). Here is his video. I watched it after I had dictated this article and it is nice to see that he concurs with me.

RELATED: Dog owners complain about cats on leashes

It is not going to be easy to train your cat to go for a walk on a lead. And it depends upon the cat’s personality. You need confidence. It also depends upon where you go on where you live. And you have got to take precautions about dogs that you might bump into on your walk. And many cats when they are first put in a harness become very limp and rollover as if they are paralysed or immobile. This is a response to the pressure of the harness on their bodies. But they can get over it. More patience.

And they can get over the difficulty of walking on a lead with patience and training. But you can start very simply by quietly training your cat inside your home and then starting off by going out into the backyard and no further. That indeed may be enough to satisfy your cat’s desire to experience the outside if they are indoors full-time.

It is still walking your cat on a lead but in a very controlled, protected environment. The more adventurous take their cats on hiking trips and you’ll see videos of cat owners walking with their cats on long leads in forests and over high escarpments with the sea behind them. It looks absolutely gorgeous both for the people and the cats. But the journey to that point hasn’t been easy. And these are exceptions. Gotta be realistic.

We know that cats are trainable but they are not as trainable as dogs. And we know that cats naturally don’t like being put into a harness. But they can learn to accept a harness and they can learn to enjoy the pleasures that a harness and lead bring them. There is an element here of positive reinforcement training. A cat will associate the harness and lead with pleasure; the pleasure of being outside; the excitement, the fun, a chance to express their natural behaviours. I would envisage a full-time indoor cat asking to be put into a harness to go for a walk on a lead but it does depend upon the level of training and the patience of the owner.

Bruce Fogle DVM

And there’s no magic about this. You can’t expect to do just happen. Bruce Fogle DVM, the great author on cat behaviour and cat health and perhaps the UK’s best-known veterinarian, has a section about walking on a harness in his book Complete Cat Care.

He starts off that chapter as follows: “Judging by what people tell me when they bring their indoor cats to the clinic, it’s pretty much normal for owners to feel guilty about not letting their felines outdoors, but your guilt trip is unwarranted. Many cats are perfectly comfortable leading an indoor life; but if you want to give your cat the option of going outdoors, and it’s too dangerous for it to do so on its own, training it to walk on a lead as an option for any relaxed cat that’s not fearful of the outdoors.”

A hint there of the difficulties that lie ahead. He recommends a comfortable harness. I would recommend a very solid harness because domestic cats when they become fearful can wriggle out of harnesses. It has to be entirely safe because otherwise you undermine the whole purpose of the exercise.

He says that you should “be able to fit a single finger anywhere under the harness. Too tight and is uncomfortable; looser and your cat may be able to wriggle out of it.”

You should allow your cat to become accustomed to wearing a harness by putting it on inside the home and allow them to walk around and live normally inside the home with a harness on.

He also recommends “putting the harness on before a meal, let your cat eat their food, then take the harness off. Little by little extend the length of time it wears the harness until it accepts it just as it accepts their collar. At this stage attach a short, lightweight nylon lead to the harness that your cat drag it around: make sure it doesn’t get caught under furniture.”

He adds that you should start training your cat, as mentioned, indoors with no distractions. And empty hallway is a good place to start. With the lead dragging behind “move in front of your cat and request it to come. As it gets to you say “good come” and simultaneously give a succulent treat.

Or you can simply take your cat outdoors on a harness and lead and let your cat lead the way. Just make sure the environment is entirely safe. You will have to get over the possibility that your cat becomes immobile for the reasons mentioned above. Once they get used to the harness they will walk and be inquisitive but they won’t walk like a dog going for a walk. You will have to be patient and let the cat lead. But as you spend more time outside with your cat on a lead the more adventures they will become.

If you want to walk your cat on a lead more or less like a dog i.e. to “walk to heel” you will need to do more. You have to engage in proper training and that is beyond the remit of this article. This involved positive reinforcement training and you will find videos on YouTube. Here is one. There are others.

It might be fair to say that this is not going to work for a timid cat. It should work with a confident cat. You should avoid parks with dogs or noisy frightening places. You really should pick quiet places nearby. But as mentioned that should be enough to counteract the problems of being unable to express natural desires as a full-time indoor cat.

And perhaps one day you might end up hiking with your cat. There is one guarantee. If done properly, your cat will love it. See Galaxy’s vide above for the clips of cats enjoying being outside on a harness and lead.

RELATED: Pros and cons of taking your leash-trained cat to public places for walks

P.S. Some jurisdications have leash laws meaning that the only way you can allow your cat outside is on a leash. This validifies the concept of cat leash training.

P.P.S. Please forgive the odd typo as this was prepared at speed 💕👍. Thanks.