Even for those who don’t intend to ever take your cat outdoors on adventures, get your cat comfy with the essential ability of leash strolling. It helps for vet visits so your cat can discover within the examination room whereas ready for her appointment, and it makes touring or relocating simpler and safer.
What you’ll want
Earlier than instructing your cat to stroll on a leash you’ll want the proper provides. In your cat’s security, she should be taught to stroll on a harness and never on a collar. Collars are a choking hazard in case your cat had been to drag on it. As well as, due to how a cat’s physique is formed, it’s very straightforward for cats to slide out of a collar. A harness gives a safer match.
Don’t use a canine harness, as they aren’t sized correctly for cats. Measure your cat’s physique to seek out the proper measurement harness, and select a skinny, light-weight nylon, 6-foot leash. That is normally the simplest leash for many cats to regulate to. Carry lots of high-value treats that your cat loves — squeezable liquid treats are particularly common with many cats.
Train it
Step 1 | Even when your objective is for outdoor walks, begin instructing your cat to stroll on a leash inside your private home in a quiet space the place she feels protected, assured and cozy. Put the harness and leash on the bottom, and let your cat discover it on her personal, praising and providing her treats when she chooses to get close to the harness. Get your cat comfy with seeing what the harness and leash are earlier than you attempt to put them on her.
Step 2 | Subsequent, when your cat is comfy with the presence of the harness, put it on her, take away it and supply a high-value deal with your cat will get enthusiastic about. The objective: Assist your cat make optimistic associations with the harness.
Step 3 | Slowly, incrementally begin to enhance the period of time your cat wears the harness whereas in your home. Interact your cat in play with the harness on and supply her favourite treats.
Step 4 | When your cat is comfortably sporting her harness, connect the leash. Use toys and treats to have interaction your cat whereas she wears a leash connected to the harness. This helps her make the associations that being subsequent to you is the objective.
Don’t pull your cat round with the leash. As a substitute, if you would like her to go in a sure path, use treats and toys to lure her to stroll that means and reward her as she follows.
Step 5 | When your cat is comfy strolling round inside your home along with her harness and leash, begin venturing outdoors. Decide a quiet out of doors location with out plenty of folks or different animals. This helps your cat really feel protected and construct confidence. As she will get extra assured, construct as much as longer walks and outings.
Stability supervision and exploration
All the time supervise your cat when she wears her harness and leash. Supervision is essential to creating certain your cat doesn’t by chance get tangled, caught and even strangled. Preserve maintain of the leash whereas your cat walks round and concentrate on your environment for something that may very well be dangerous.
With security in thoughts, when your cat walks on a leash, give her as a lot freedom as is protected to discover. Don’t pull or yank your cat’s leash whereas she walks. As a substitute, use a high-value cat deal with to lure her within the path you need her to go. Your cat will shortly begin to make the affiliation that exploring close to you’ll be rewarded.
