walking cats outside (male, safe, dogs, litter)

[zilam98]

does anyone here walk their cats outside, like say on a leash or in a carrier? which is the best way to do it? my female cat would certainly love to do it since she can't climb over the wall to go outside like my male cat does, but i'm not sure if i should take them out on a leash or have them in a carrier. if on a leash, what's the best leash to try them with? if in a carrier, what's the best one? they're 9 and 12 pounds, 4 years old

[PeachSalsa]

There is a guy near me who "walks" his cats by putting them in 2 carriers, strapping the carriers into a wagon, and then pulling the wagon on the various walking paths.

I will go outside with my cats once in a while. One is sometimes curious about the outdoors, so she will very cautiously step out the door and go to the grass, where she rolls around in it and maybe pounces toward a moth or 2. She is about 20 years old. (She is always curious about that first snowfall, too, and insists in "testing" it, but then very quickly remembers it is cold and wet and high tails it back inside. She will find a patch of sun, lay down, and soak up the rays. She does not wander far (but I stay right by her, due to hawks, eagles, coyotes, and other dogs in the neighborhood).

The other will sit at the door and meow piteously at us while we are out. So when the old lady goes in, the young kid will step out. As soon as she is on the front stoop, she immediately rolls on the cement, then panics, and then begins pawing furiously at the front door to be let back inside. Every. Single. Time.

[=^..^=]

I don't because we have 5 cats, all indoor-only. It would be too time consuming.

There are dangers in walking them on a leash such as a large loose dog attacking them. Or exposure to parasites and possibly disease. And the begging that would start whenever one wanted to go out for a walk. Cats can be very persistent.

Taking them out in carriers would be a waste of time. They wouldn't be able to roll in the grass or sniff something interesting or chase a bug....

[hunterseat]

While living in Hawaii I had a cat foisted upon me. I love him now BUT at the time all I could think about was "this is one more animal we have to transport back to the Mainland" (I had my 2 dogs with me) I bought a cat leash and put the harness on him a little each day. He always watched the dogs go out on leashes. I'm convinced he looks at them as his litter mates.

*I'm required to add the dogs in no way consider the cat an actual brother but they do tolerate him*

Anyway, I began taking him out on the leash and he seemed to enjoy it a bit. You can't really walk them. You have to kinda let them walk you. At least he was manageable in the airport!

[subject2change]

I walk one of my cats with an XS dog collar (because it doesn't have the breakaway feature, meaning you can't leave it on when they're unsupervised) and a light 8-foot tie-out intended for a small dog also. That's lighter than any leash, and of course you can hold it for a much shorter length. She's used to it and walks pretty well but I don't walk her on the street. Walking two at a time might take a lot of practice! Anyway, she enjoys it a lot.
We used to have a neighbor who pushed his cat in a baby buggy. I'm not sure how it was set up to keep the cat in.

[Nanny Goat]

I walked 2 of my cats (females) on a leash in the yard only. They did quite well. They never pulled on it or were afraid of it. Only problem is one of the cats started going to the door more so looking to go outside. I didn't want her to ever try to escape inadvertently so I stopped walking her. The male cat would not do it so I didn't try again. He hated it.

[sportsfangal]

My cat despises the harness and leash. When I get it, she starts to walk away. Once on, she "pancakes" herself down on the floor and won't walk a single step. When she does walk with it on, it's as if I've strapped a block of cement onto her! She crouches down like a little elderly lady! She's so dramatic! But she likes the outside and this is the only way I feel safe for her to be outside. Perhaps later this summer I can get her out a little more!

[Cida]

We used to do that when we travelled in a car. We had harnesses for the cats, so that they wouldn't be dragged by the neck. Then we'd snap the leash on when we left the car. Ours hated it, but it was pretty funny to watch. As we walked forward, they'd make a beeline as fast as they could out to the side, come to the end of the leash, and then be pulled forward as we walked. So they kept making these quarter-circle paths. There used to be a guy whose cat would ride on his shoulder.

I'm not sure what the point would be of having them in a carrier. That would be worse than being indoors.

[JustMike77]

I had the pleasure a while back to have my son's cat live with me after he was done with college and before he moved out (my son, not the cat). "Outside" to him was the attached garage. He would meow at the door every day to be let out and then he would sit by the screened vent in the garage door and watch and sniff whoever passed by. Eventually, he found his way to his favorite nap spot, the footwell of my car. It was so cute, I really need to get a kitty.

[hunterseat]

I had a stroller for my 9# daughter dog. She loved it. I think it raised a few eyebrows in the neighborhood the first time I pushed her.... until she barked. (7 years ago)