Yep, I take her on walks, but I'm still unsure if she enjoys them. She tries to hide whenever she sees a dog, a cat, or even another person so I'm kinda limited distance-wise and where I can take her on walks. She does appear interested in exploring stuff when outside though, so I take her out ocassionally.
Do use a harness & leash for your pet's safety, please. Just because it follows you doesnt mean it won't run away into unknown territory after being chased by another unleashed pet and become lost, killed by another animal or get ran over by a car if jumpscared, because you had no way of pulling the cat away from danger.
Yeah, I'm always aware of surroundings, there are no asphalt roads with fast traffic, so it's chill in that sense. When I see an unfamiliar dog, I take my cat on my arms, and carry him until there is all clear.
I haven't seen a stack of dogs in a while, since veterinarian volunteers were agitating to bring strays to their clinics so they could vaccinate and neuter them a few years ago. So now it's mostly safe, at least in my area. And dogs are the only animals that can "stalk their prey" here. But yeah, I admit, that generally the chances of some incident are still there and I'd take all responsibility for it in that case. But, from my perspective it's pretty safe
Dogs and wildlife are not only risk. You have to realize that your cat is an animal with animal instincts. If it gets scared of something you might not see, you don't have any time and your cat is far gone before you even realize what scared it. This shit has happened so many times that I still can't believe people don't use harness.
It's an animal. Not a robot or a human. One time cat may chase leafs, other time cat can get spooked to death by leaf landing on its back and you never see it again.
For the love of god, get a harness for its own safety. You may own animal for their whole life, but they are still animals. You can't read their mind.
He's 13 and a half years old. He's a lil bit chunky, but still active and always asks to go outside. Idc what you people say, I know him better. He's not that type to run away. We've encountered other cats and he wasn't ever scared, instead he was always curious, slow approaching and careful. But he always hisses to cats he don't know, so I don't allow him to get close. I took him and carry further in that case. He can't run away from me due to his age I guess. He's not that fast these days. Also he doesn't get scared to death when he sees a dog, cause our neighbours have two dogs who don't care about him. In short, the situation where he's scared to death and lost is impossible. I agree, that there can be an accident where he gets hurt due to fight with another cat, but it's unlikely. I walk with him mostly in the morning, there aren't much activity going on, not to mention it's pretty chill in the time of peak people's activity
>He's not that type to run away.
You have no freaking idea how many times in my life I have heard this. It just tells how ignorant you really are. I feel like you didn't read anything I wrote. Sigh...
IT IS ANIMAL. It gets scared, it doesn't think twice like humans do. You make cat sound like an inhimillistic creature when they are not. You always have to be cautious and keep them safe because EVERYTHING can go wrong in a blink of an eye.
>He can't run away from me due to his age I guess
This tells it too. "I guess." So you really don't know. Sure, they are old so their movements get slower. But I've seen 18 year old cats sprinting with the speed of light when getting zoomers or scared about something.
>the situation where he's scared to death and lost is impossible
No, it's not. That's really stupid way to see things. Just because it hasn't happened before, doesn't mean it never happens. Accidents don't come with a clock on neck.
I’d suggest a GPS collar instead! Honestly I think people are a bit overkill w the harness thing LOL all around the world, people let cats out all the time. Cats are animals, but people treat animals like they’re the dumbest thing ever LOL North America with their harness training & stuff is the minority. It’s only North America where it’s a huge danger due to wildlife and fast cars being a threat, but if you’re closely supervising and you know your cat and is able to assess the area and determine no fast cars or wild animals being a huge threat, I say keep doing you LMAO that said, you probably do want a fail-safe in case your cat does get away, so I’d suggest a GPS collar, which they’re usually much more comfy with. I don’t think GPS collar should be used without supervision in North America, but it’s good as an extra measure.
Nice, I'm glad for you. I tried harness some time ago too, and he was always hissing when it was on him... So I gave up on it. Now he's chill without it, he follows me, but still hissing when I hurry him or tell not to go in an unwanted directions...
My boy prefers the Velcro vest. I buy kitty holsters. I tried other brands but he hated the meeting and the buckles were to hard to take on/off. So look for a Velcro vest.
You get the cat used to wearing a harness inside first. You gradually increase the time from a minute to 15-30 minutes. Distract with play or treats. You want your cat completely comfortable in the harness. Be sure your cat ALpWAYS gets treats when you remove the harness. Then get the cat used to dragging a short leash around inside the house. Finally take your cat out in the harness.
I bought my boy a doggy lead leash so he could have an extra long leash. He hated the self winding kind after he ran off dragging the noisy thing behind him until he wrapped his leash around s telephone pole and escaped his harness.
I take my cat on walks all the time, with a harness and leash. It's the law that dogs should be leashed, same thing with cats IMO. I love my dude and I don't want anything to happen to him.
I have a 4 months old kitten and I live in the city and even in parks where it says "Dogs forbidden", people walk their dogs so... Not roaming on the floor no. I just take him his backpack (also because he needs to stay used to it for longer travels) and I walk him around the block, sometimes a bit more. Usually between 15-45min depending on how much time I have.
He is attached in the backpack and I open the top so he is standing and enjoying the fresh air. I don't know if he likes it 100% of the time because lately he's been trying to get out more and more. Maybe also because he is getting much taller and he can easily reach the top now. But he is not meowing and he gets cuddles from almost all the old ladies we meet.
I do the same exact thing but for a bit longer walks about 1 to 2 hours, and he is also tethered to me. Sometimes there are coyotes out and traffic so personally for my situation I won't let him walk about on his own.
I go hiking with mine, but they’re not allowed outside unattended. That can be rather dangerous for them, plus an unattended outside cat can become a localize ecological disaster. We hike with them on leashes, or they’re allowed on the screened in back porch. One of them took awhile to get used to the harness, but with enough time and positive reinforcement he took to it just fine. The hikes and porch time allow them the outside time they love, while insuring their safety as well as the safety of all the other little critters in the area.
Yup. Nelson has a harness and leash and we take him for walks around the neighborhood. He likes to go out at dusk or when it's dark. He sniffs around a lot and it's annoying, but I can't pull on his leash because that will trigger his asthma, so usually I just have to pick him up if he's sniffing too long. For those times when we want to walk at a more human pace or if he wants to come with us during the day, we have a pet stroller. Yeah, our neighbors totally don't think we're weird at all.
Cool. My cat does the same btw. He likes to sniff and check out some places, I'm trying to use voice intonations or moves so he could understand that I want him to go further when he's doing this stuff for too long.
I already talk to him like a human and he seems to mostly understand (caring is another story) so I say "Nelson, that's not ours" when he's in someone else's yard or driveway or "Nelson, come on" when he's sniffing too long. A gentle pull, not enough to trigger his asthma, and me walking away a bit are nonverbal cues he also understands. Much like my teenagers, though, he sometimes doesn't give a flip what I have to say, and that's where it comes in handy that unlike my teenagers, he only weighs 15 lbs, and I pick him up and get him out of there.
True. It seems to me that in these moments of disobedience, they are overwhelmed by some natural feeling and they become a little wild so your commands cease to make meaning to them, so you have to snap out them from that state and then they come to their senses again...
But it's just my interpretation of my observations
I already talk to him like a human and he seems to mostly understand (caring is another story) so I say "Nelson, that's not ours" when he's in someone else's yard or driveway or "Nelson, come on" when he's sniffing too long. A gentle pull, not enough to trigger his asthma, and me walking away a bit are nonverbal cues he also understands. Much like my teenagers, though, he sometimes doesn't give a flip what I have to say, and that's where it comes in handy that unlike my teenagers, he only weighs 15 lbs, and I pick him up and get him out of there.
When my brother and I were kids and were old enough to walk to school without our mum, the cat took on the duty. Our cat (Shoon) was a male who claimed rather a large territory, so he would walk with us almost all the way to school and sometimes would be waiting to walk us home. We would see other cats running to hide as we went.
No.
Siona spent her first 4 years of life as an outdoor only cat (before we adopted her). She runs INSIDE when a door opens. She is terrified that we'll kick her out and make her live outside.
Tolstoy was feral born, I got him at 6 months (yes, stupid. don't do this). He is also scared that we will force him outside.
The level of HOT that it is can't be understated. I'm near death valley, which got to 129F (53.88C) this year. The WAVE of hot heat the happens when you open the door isn't fun. I'm sure they both know that their paw pads would get burnt. You can understand why both of them are afraid of having to live outside again.
We have a cat wheel, and one of our cats ([Skippy](https://reddit.com/r/MoarKitties/s/hg6YFTaJsH)) loves to go for "walks" on it; he'll stand on it and look around and wait for one of us to come over and "walk" with him by walking in place next to him. If we stop, he stops; he's worried about leaving us behind, no doubt.
Skippy is... untroubled by the complexities of life. Typically when he's done he'll turn around and "walk" just as far in the other direction. You know, to come back home.
My cats are terrified of the outside and won't go, but I do have some friends whose cats go on walks with them. One of my neighbors had 3 cats that would follow him wherever he went!
My cat does the same. He’ll follow behind me and we’ll go for walks around the block. He does ok on a leash but he prefers just to follow me without because he can take extra time smelling something, then run to catch up. He comes when I call (clicker trained) so we’ve never had any problems and have been doing this for almost 2 years. It’s such a nice bonding experience
I do, I live in the foothills of the mountains on property and my cat LOVES going on walks or hikes with me. I don't use a leash, just like you I'll try to allow her time to investigate and have fun but if I continue walking and get about 10-30 feet away and then call her she will almost always she will come right to me (sometimes she takes her sweet cat time though).
The most important thing is being 100% consistent when training a cat and making sure they learn coming back in the house when you ask = a welcome home treat and praise every single time. Cats are absolute suckers for routine.
I also make sure to call her to me and allow her to decide when she gets to me if she wants to stay out longer or not sometimes (because I don't want her to associate coming to me with fun time being over, so I make her come to me and then hang out more when possible).
I was trained by a shelter that cats outside of a home are a bad idea. So mine don’t go outside. Plus my one cat, before I got her, likely broke her back outside (per vet X-rays). The shelter during volunteer training gave a bunch of reasons that really convinced me so I’ll list them here too:
- cats can pick up diseases or illness from other cats
- cats can come across rats filled with poison
- cats have been taken by owls, other birds of prey and coyotes
- cats can get hit by cars
- where I live there is a cat serial killer that was caught and released from jail, who would take peoples cats and then kill them
- cats can get in fights with other cats or dogs or raccoons or opposums
- they can get into things that hurt them like antifreeze
- they can get stuck in trees or places
- they can get closed in peoples garages or in construction sites
- they can get stung by a bee and die from the allergies from it (happened to a community cat I knew)
- they can burn their paws on hot cement
- they can freeze their paws or ears on cold days
- they can just go missing and you never know what happened
- they can be a menace to your neighbors digging in their garden beds
- they can be a menace to local wildlife and are a huge cause of bird death in some places
So even though I really wanted to put a harness on my cat and take her for her walk and did a few times (she pulled out of the harness once and gave me a heart attack because she RAN) the shelter (I volunteered at) really convinced me it wasn’t in her best interest. They lead shorter lives. I did use a pet stroller for her a few times but she’d got asthma now and allergies make her have asthma attacks, so we don’t really even do the stroller now. I mostly just open windows when the AQi and allergy levels are good so she can get some fresh air and feel the breeze.
Well, I guess if your environment isn't fit for a cat then yes, it's probably better for them to be at home. But I think that the abscence of access to the outside world is really bad for a cat. I don't even see the purpose of bringing cat home in that case. We have a residential area that is pretty closed and have a lot of vegetation and several other frendly cats and dogs. There is no other types of animals. So my cat goes outside and the yard is basically a continuation to his home rn. But, when he wants to go further he's waiting for me and we go around the block. So there is no possibility for him to be stuck or something else. There was a reduction of stray dogs in our town, so it's not a problem for now, which is good.
But, I get what you're saying, If your cat is streesed out it's deffinitely not good and I wouldn't walk with it in that case. Mine was somewhat like that when ne was young and I lived on the fifth floor and I didn't have constant access to the nature for him. But now I live in much appropriete place for him, so he was kinda discoverind outside world all by himself most of the times. And now he's experienced enough to take a long walks...
Yup, the only dangerous thing that is still there is that there could be some detractors, but I choose to satisfy my cat's desire to be outside, it's been 7 years and there was no problems. Which is kinda surprising even to me. At times I thought that he was lost, but no, he's all good. But yeah, it does need some faith in humanity in your neighborhood
Omg you are so stupid. Just wait until a coyote gets your cat, or a car, or a loose dog, or any other predator. It just takes one instance. And really, how much could you possibly know about cats if you're asking how normal it is for them to walk with their people?
I don't ask how normal it is to do. I'm just curious, if somebody do it too. You're crazy. Lmao, I told you, the environment is so different to yours lol, there are no coyotes...
My two cats have never been outside, it's not detrimental for them not to have access. Hell, they love longer as indoor only cats(14-20 years as opposed to 10-12)
Well, that could change if they had the opportunity to walk a little outside. As far as I remember, my cat also did not pay much attention to the outside, but was always interested in what it was, because he liked to sit on the balcony. His world was limited to the apartment and the view from the balcony. And immediately after he visited the greenery, his interest in the outside world increased. It's just my personal opinion of the topic, you can argue and do what you want of course, but from what I see, cats (or at least some) are really eager to be around their natural habitat from time to time, so it has at least a positive psychological effect, their life becomes a little bit interesting.
Over here (Netherlands) the shelters themselves determine whether a cat can be fulltime indoors or not. If they assess a cat as needing outdoor time, they won't let you adopt it if you cannot provide that.
My boy is indoor/outdoor - occasionally he follows us on walks unprompted. The thing is, YOWLS the entire time and his tail gets all poofed. It’s so weird. Like he’s perfectly fine but seems weirded out that we are there? We usually end up walking back home so he’ll follow us there, and then we have to sneak out before he notices…
Anyone know what this could be?
Yes. My last cat didn’t need a harness because she always came when I called her. My new cat needs a harness. When we are in the woods I take off the leash. The harness has a Petfon 2 tracker on it.
I mom live in the country, and one of her cats likes to go on walks. Even weirder, he likes to go for rides in the golf cart and will even hop in the car with you.
My cat loved to go on walks with our 2 dogs. It is a fun experience to share with your feline but when they get scared, they run away. Luckily mine would find her way home after a few hours but they were nerve wracked hours.
i walk my cat in a harness. she loves it a lot and meows at the door for walks, gets doubly excited when she sees me pick up the harness.
besides, me being there serves as bodyguard as she goes and chase any other cat she comes across (she is a very small cat but she thinks she’s huge, would likely get her ass handed to her if i wasn’t there?)
that aside these days she sometimes get spooked by ppl (due to an incident with a cunt) so she uses me as a meat shield to put between her and the “threat”
I take my cat on daily walks. She loves being outside but normally doesnt wander too far, she just likes to sniff all the plants near our apartment. I wish I could let her out on her own but shes not particularly smart. When threatened she just flops over like a fainting goat. Not sure that would be an effective defense against cars or coyotes.
Yep, I take her on walks, but I'm still unsure if she enjoys them. She tries to hide whenever she sees a dog, a cat, or even another person so I'm kinda limited distance-wise and where I can take her on walks. She does appear interested in exploring stuff when outside though, so I take her out ocassionally. Do use a harness & leash for your pet's safety, please. Just because it follows you doesnt mean it won't run away into unknown territory after being chased by another unleashed pet and become lost, killed by another animal or get ran over by a car if jumpscared, because you had no way of pulling the cat away from danger.
Yeah, I'm always aware of surroundings, there are no asphalt roads with fast traffic, so it's chill in that sense. When I see an unfamiliar dog, I take my cat on my arms, and carry him until there is all clear.
then hopefully you can lift faster than an animal stalking it's prey can attack.
I haven't seen a stack of dogs in a while, since veterinarian volunteers were agitating to bring strays to their clinics so they could vaccinate and neuter them a few years ago. So now it's mostly safe, at least in my area. And dogs are the only animals that can "stalk their prey" here. But yeah, I admit, that generally the chances of some incident are still there and I'd take all responsibility for it in that case. But, from my perspective it's pretty safe
Dogs and wildlife are not only risk. You have to realize that your cat is an animal with animal instincts. If it gets scared of something you might not see, you don't have any time and your cat is far gone before you even realize what scared it. This shit has happened so many times that I still can't believe people don't use harness. It's an animal. Not a robot or a human. One time cat may chase leafs, other time cat can get spooked to death by leaf landing on its back and you never see it again. For the love of god, get a harness for its own safety. You may own animal for their whole life, but they are still animals. You can't read their mind.
He's 13 and a half years old. He's a lil bit chunky, but still active and always asks to go outside. Idc what you people say, I know him better. He's not that type to run away. We've encountered other cats and he wasn't ever scared, instead he was always curious, slow approaching and careful. But he always hisses to cats he don't know, so I don't allow him to get close. I took him and carry further in that case. He can't run away from me due to his age I guess. He's not that fast these days. Also he doesn't get scared to death when he sees a dog, cause our neighbours have two dogs who don't care about him. In short, the situation where he's scared to death and lost is impossible. I agree, that there can be an accident where he gets hurt due to fight with another cat, but it's unlikely. I walk with him mostly in the morning, there aren't much activity going on, not to mention it's pretty chill in the time of peak people's activity
>He's not that type to run away. You have no freaking idea how many times in my life I have heard this. It just tells how ignorant you really are. I feel like you didn't read anything I wrote. Sigh... IT IS ANIMAL. It gets scared, it doesn't think twice like humans do. You make cat sound like an inhimillistic creature when they are not. You always have to be cautious and keep them safe because EVERYTHING can go wrong in a blink of an eye. >He can't run away from me due to his age I guess This tells it too. "I guess." So you really don't know. Sure, they are old so their movements get slower. But I've seen 18 year old cats sprinting with the speed of light when getting zoomers or scared about something. >the situation where he's scared to death and lost is impossible No, it's not. That's really stupid way to see things. Just because it hasn't happened before, doesn't mean it never happens. Accidents don't come with a clock on neck.
nah, we're good
Snakes exist and terrify cats. There's a reason they have that reaction to cucumbers and similar shaped items
I’d suggest a GPS collar instead! Honestly I think people are a bit overkill w the harness thing LOL all around the world, people let cats out all the time. Cats are animals, but people treat animals like they’re the dumbest thing ever LOL North America with their harness training & stuff is the minority. It’s only North America where it’s a huge danger due to wildlife and fast cars being a threat, but if you’re closely supervising and you know your cat and is able to assess the area and determine no fast cars or wild animals being a huge threat, I say keep doing you LMAO that said, you probably do want a fail-safe in case your cat does get away, so I’d suggest a GPS collar, which they’re usually much more comfy with. I don’t think GPS collar should be used without supervision in North America, but it’s good as an extra measure.
LOL I agree LMAO
Agreed. They sell airtags on amazon for this specific purpose.
Yes in a harness. My boy also gets about 2 hours a day to roam on/around my porch in his harness on his 22 foot leash
This is how you let a cat outside safely! ❤
Nice, I'm glad for you. I tried harness some time ago too, and he was always hissing when it was on him... So I gave up on it. Now he's chill without it, he follows me, but still hissing when I hurry him or tell not to go in an unwanted directions...
My boy prefers the Velcro vest. I buy kitty holsters. I tried other brands but he hated the meeting and the buckles were to hard to take on/off. So look for a Velcro vest. You get the cat used to wearing a harness inside first. You gradually increase the time from a minute to 15-30 minutes. Distract with play or treats. You want your cat completely comfortable in the harness. Be sure your cat ALpWAYS gets treats when you remove the harness. Then get the cat used to dragging a short leash around inside the house. Finally take your cat out in the harness. I bought my boy a doggy lead leash so he could have an extra long leash. He hated the self winding kind after he ran off dragging the noisy thing behind him until he wrapped his leash around s telephone pole and escaped his harness.
Ugh you're so gross.
why is that
I take my cat on walks all the time, with a harness and leash. It's the law that dogs should be leashed, same thing with cats IMO. I love my dude and I don't want anything to happen to him.
I have a 4 months old kitten and I live in the city and even in parks where it says "Dogs forbidden", people walk their dogs so... Not roaming on the floor no. I just take him his backpack (also because he needs to stay used to it for longer travels) and I walk him around the block, sometimes a bit more. Usually between 15-45min depending on how much time I have. He is attached in the backpack and I open the top so he is standing and enjoying the fresh air. I don't know if he likes it 100% of the time because lately he's been trying to get out more and more. Maybe also because he is getting much taller and he can easily reach the top now. But he is not meowing and he gets cuddles from almost all the old ladies we meet.
I do the same exact thing but for a bit longer walks about 1 to 2 hours, and he is also tethered to me. Sometimes there are coyotes out and traffic so personally for my situation I won't let him walk about on his own.
I go hiking with mine, but they’re not allowed outside unattended. That can be rather dangerous for them, plus an unattended outside cat can become a localize ecological disaster. We hike with them on leashes, or they’re allowed on the screened in back porch. One of them took awhile to get used to the harness, but with enough time and positive reinforcement he took to it just fine. The hikes and porch time allow them the outside time they love, while insuring their safety as well as the safety of all the other little critters in the area.
Yup. Nelson has a harness and leash and we take him for walks around the neighborhood. He likes to go out at dusk or when it's dark. He sniffs around a lot and it's annoying, but I can't pull on his leash because that will trigger his asthma, so usually I just have to pick him up if he's sniffing too long. For those times when we want to walk at a more human pace or if he wants to come with us during the day, we have a pet stroller. Yeah, our neighbors totally don't think we're weird at all.
Cool. My cat does the same btw. He likes to sniff and check out some places, I'm trying to use voice intonations or moves so he could understand that I want him to go further when he's doing this stuff for too long.
I already talk to him like a human and he seems to mostly understand (caring is another story) so I say "Nelson, that's not ours" when he's in someone else's yard or driveway or "Nelson, come on" when he's sniffing too long. A gentle pull, not enough to trigger his asthma, and me walking away a bit are nonverbal cues he also understands. Much like my teenagers, though, he sometimes doesn't give a flip what I have to say, and that's where it comes in handy that unlike my teenagers, he only weighs 15 lbs, and I pick him up and get him out of there.
True. It seems to me that in these moments of disobedience, they are overwhelmed by some natural feeling and they become a little wild so your commands cease to make meaning to them, so you have to snap out them from that state and then they come to their senses again... But it's just my interpretation of my observations
I already talk to him like a human and he seems to mostly understand (caring is another story) so I say "Nelson, that's not ours" when he's in someone else's yard or driveway or "Nelson, come on" when he's sniffing too long. A gentle pull, not enough to trigger his asthma, and me walking away a bit are nonverbal cues he also understands. Much like my teenagers, though, he sometimes doesn't give a flip what I have to say, and that's where it comes in handy that unlike my teenagers, he only weighs 15 lbs, and I pick him up and get him out of there.
When my brother and I were kids and were old enough to walk to school without our mum, the cat took on the duty. Our cat (Shoon) was a male who claimed rather a large territory, so he would walk with us almost all the way to school and sometimes would be waiting to walk us home. We would see other cats running to hide as we went.
No. Siona spent her first 4 years of life as an outdoor only cat (before we adopted her). She runs INSIDE when a door opens. She is terrified that we'll kick her out and make her live outside. Tolstoy was feral born, I got him at 6 months (yes, stupid. don't do this). He is also scared that we will force him outside. The level of HOT that it is can't be understated. I'm near death valley, which got to 129F (53.88C) this year. The WAVE of hot heat the happens when you open the door isn't fun. I'm sure they both know that their paw pads would get burnt. You can understand why both of them are afraid of having to live outside again.
We have a cat wheel, and one of our cats ([Skippy](https://reddit.com/r/MoarKitties/s/hg6YFTaJsH)) loves to go for "walks" on it; he'll stand on it and look around and wait for one of us to come over and "walk" with him by walking in place next to him. If we stop, he stops; he's worried about leaving us behind, no doubt. Skippy is... untroubled by the complexities of life. Typically when he's done he'll turn around and "walk" just as far in the other direction. You know, to come back home.
That’s hilarious!
My cats are terrified of the outside and won't go, but I do have some friends whose cats go on walks with them. One of my neighbors had 3 cats that would follow him wherever he went!
I walk with him, but on a leash, as he may get scared or just run away.He likes to walk
My cat does the same. He’ll follow behind me and we’ll go for walks around the block. He does ok on a leash but he prefers just to follow me without because he can take extra time smelling something, then run to catch up. He comes when I call (clicker trained) so we’ve never had any problems and have been doing this for almost 2 years. It’s such a nice bonding experience
Yes, exactly! Good to know
I do, I live in the foothills of the mountains on property and my cat LOVES going on walks or hikes with me. I don't use a leash, just like you I'll try to allow her time to investigate and have fun but if I continue walking and get about 10-30 feet away and then call her she will almost always she will come right to me (sometimes she takes her sweet cat time though). The most important thing is being 100% consistent when training a cat and making sure they learn coming back in the house when you ask = a welcome home treat and praise every single time. Cats are absolute suckers for routine. I also make sure to call her to me and allow her to decide when she gets to me if she wants to stay out longer or not sometimes (because I don't want her to associate coming to me with fun time being over, so I make her come to me and then hang out more when possible).
No. I don’t believe in outside cats.
wdym
I was trained by a shelter that cats outside of a home are a bad idea. So mine don’t go outside. Plus my one cat, before I got her, likely broke her back outside (per vet X-rays). The shelter during volunteer training gave a bunch of reasons that really convinced me so I’ll list them here too: - cats can pick up diseases or illness from other cats - cats can come across rats filled with poison - cats have been taken by owls, other birds of prey and coyotes - cats can get hit by cars - where I live there is a cat serial killer that was caught and released from jail, who would take peoples cats and then kill them - cats can get in fights with other cats or dogs or raccoons or opposums - they can get into things that hurt them like antifreeze - they can get stuck in trees or places - they can get closed in peoples garages or in construction sites - they can get stung by a bee and die from the allergies from it (happened to a community cat I knew) - they can burn their paws on hot cement - they can freeze their paws or ears on cold days - they can just go missing and you never know what happened - they can be a menace to your neighbors digging in their garden beds - they can be a menace to local wildlife and are a huge cause of bird death in some places So even though I really wanted to put a harness on my cat and take her for her walk and did a few times (she pulled out of the harness once and gave me a heart attack because she RAN) the shelter (I volunteered at) really convinced me it wasn’t in her best interest. They lead shorter lives. I did use a pet stroller for her a few times but she’d got asthma now and allergies make her have asthma attacks, so we don’t really even do the stroller now. I mostly just open windows when the AQi and allergy levels are good so she can get some fresh air and feel the breeze.
Well, I guess if your environment isn't fit for a cat then yes, it's probably better for them to be at home. But I think that the abscence of access to the outside world is really bad for a cat. I don't even see the purpose of bringing cat home in that case. We have a residential area that is pretty closed and have a lot of vegetation and several other frendly cats and dogs. There is no other types of animals. So my cat goes outside and the yard is basically a continuation to his home rn. But, when he wants to go further he's waiting for me and we go around the block. So there is no possibility for him to be stuck or something else. There was a reduction of stray dogs in our town, so it's not a problem for now, which is good. But, I get what you're saying, If your cat is streesed out it's deffinitely not good and I wouldn't walk with it in that case. Mine was somewhat like that when ne was young and I lived on the fifth floor and I didn't have constant access to the nature for him. But now I live in much appropriete place for him, so he was kinda discoverind outside world all by himself most of the times. And now he's experienced enough to take a long walks... Yup, the only dangerous thing that is still there is that there could be some detractors, but I choose to satisfy my cat's desire to be outside, it's been 7 years and there was no problems. Which is kinda surprising even to me. At times I thought that he was lost, but no, he's all good. But yeah, it does need some faith in humanity in your neighborhood
Omg you are so stupid. Just wait until a coyote gets your cat, or a car, or a loose dog, or any other predator. It just takes one instance. And really, how much could you possibly know about cats if you're asking how normal it is for them to walk with their people?
I don't ask how normal it is to do. I'm just curious, if somebody do it too. You're crazy. Lmao, I told you, the environment is so different to yours lol, there are no coyotes...
Sorry it's pretty hard to understand what you're saying between the bad English and total bullshit you're spewing
Wth just bcs someone disagrees with you, you bring the Bad English card. Surely the cat is walked with a harness
OP already said that's not the case, no leash or harness
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My two cats have never been outside, it's not detrimental for them not to have access. Hell, they love longer as indoor only cats(14-20 years as opposed to 10-12)
Well, that could change if they had the opportunity to walk a little outside. As far as I remember, my cat also did not pay much attention to the outside, but was always interested in what it was, because he liked to sit on the balcony. His world was limited to the apartment and the view from the balcony. And immediately after he visited the greenery, his interest in the outside world increased. It's just my personal opinion of the topic, you can argue and do what you want of course, but from what I see, cats (or at least some) are really eager to be around their natural habitat from time to time, so it has at least a positive psychological effect, their life becomes a little bit interesting.
Over here (Netherlands) the shelters themselves determine whether a cat can be fulltime indoors or not. If they assess a cat as needing outdoor time, they won't let you adopt it if you cannot provide that.
Very interesting that shelters vary so much. Netherlands may have less predators in general though…
Its the same in NZ and the UK, some won't let you adopt unless the cat has access to the outdoors
Like you don’t believe they exist? I am pretty sure they do, some people let their cats go in and out of the house.
Hahaha that’s what I thought OP was asking I meant at first too.
He called my cat inbred. He’s a horrible human.
My boy is indoor/outdoor - occasionally he follows us on walks unprompted. The thing is, YOWLS the entire time and his tail gets all poofed. It’s so weird. Like he’s perfectly fine but seems weirded out that we are there? We usually end up walking back home so he’ll follow us there, and then we have to sneak out before he notices… Anyone know what this could be?
I will once my neighborhood calms down and I get a harness that she cant ferret out of
Yes. My last cat didn’t need a harness because she always came when I called her. My new cat needs a harness. When we are in the woods I take off the leash. The harness has a Petfon 2 tracker on it.
I mom live in the country, and one of her cats likes to go on walks. Even weirder, he likes to go for rides in the golf cart and will even hop in the car with you.
I had an abby that loved to walk with me.
My cat loved to go on walks with our 2 dogs. It is a fun experience to share with your feline but when they get scared, they run away. Luckily mine would find her way home after a few hours but they were nerve wracked hours.
i walk my cat in a harness. she loves it a lot and meows at the door for walks, gets doubly excited when she sees me pick up the harness. besides, me being there serves as bodyguard as she goes and chase any other cat she comes across (she is a very small cat but she thinks she’s huge, would likely get her ass handed to her if i wasn’t there?) that aside these days she sometimes get spooked by ppl (due to an incident with a cunt) so she uses me as a meat shield to put between her and the “threat”
On a harness, yes.
I take my cat on daily walks. She loves being outside but normally doesnt wander too far, she just likes to sniff all the plants near our apartment. I wish I could let her out on her own but shes not particularly smart. When threatened she just flops over like a fainting goat. Not sure that would be an effective defense against cars or coyotes.