How to teach a cat to ride on a leash?

In this article we are going to give you some tips that you can follow to try to achieve an achievement as a trainer, which would mean walking with your cat quietly down the street. This would be a whole step in the relationship you have with your feline and you could break the barrier that involves walking around with a cat on the street, full of stimuli (both positive and negative) for them.

What you have to keep in mind is that to achieve this milestone it would be advisable start from very small With training, it is undoubtedly the period in which cats are more receptive to learning this type of behavior. You will also have to consider that it will take time, it will depend on the cat of course, but we all know how suspicious they are when it comes to contact with your body, so adapting to the use of the harness can be quite challenging for him.

We give you the keys to achieve this, but above all you have to keep in mind the following premises to get a cat on a leash to walk: patience, praise and awards. Keep reading and discover how to teach a cat to walk on a leash.

To begin with, the choice of harness It will be an important step. Do not ever think of taking your cat out with a simple collar and leash, you run the risk that he will get scared, get rid of his ties with how elusive they are and run away with serious danger of not reaching it and In addition, the collars can damage the cat’s trachea, making it difficult to swallow.

Thanks to the use of a harness, the force that the cat performs to escape will be distributed between shoulders, belly and chest, in this way no harm will be done and it will be almost impossible to get rid of their restraints.

To take the correct measurement you must measure the contour of your chest, write it down and take it into account when buying the harness, which in any case must show the range of measures indicated for which it is indicated. You will find it in innumerable colors and designs as well as in different manufacturing materials such as nylon or neoprene.

You will also have to make a wise decision with the strap. Avoid those that are common in use with dogs, retractable, as they could harm your cat. You can contemplate the possibility of acquiring an elastic strap to give your pet some freedom but with certainty that it will firmly hold the pulls.

As we mentioned at the beginning, before even contemplating the possibility of walking the cat with the leash, you will have to make him feel comfortable (or at least tolerate) when wearing the harness. To achieve this you must go putting it on for several minutes a day, gradually increasing the time it is worn. Considers praise him when he’s wearing and give him a prize in the form of food that he likes, of course if he does not tolerate that day wearing the harness do not make the mistake of physically punishing him, you never have to mistreat the animals and the kitten will respond much better based on awards otherwise.

If you manage to forget that you wear it when you are inside the house, it will be a success.

When you feel that you are comfortable with the harness on, it will be time to introduce the strap. Same procedure as with the harness, hook and let it drag on the ground, move freely wherever it pleases, giving awards and praise.

To finish the process you must take the strap and again let it move where he wants, it is very possible that if you intend to direct it is reluctant, let it move at will.

Preparing a cat to go outside is a process that can take a long time, again patience will be very important, because even though the cat looks out the window and seems very interested in the outside, at the time of leaving it can show something more hesitant. Once dressed with your harness and leash you can invite him to leave, but if you do not feel safe and do not want it is better to abort the process and try another day, do not force it because it will be counterproductive for all the good work you have done.

The moment you get past the door threshold again everything must be rewards and good words for him. The first outings should be short, about 5-6 minutes so that it gets used up and does not get saturated at the beginning.

You must choose for these first days of training outside dry days, without rain, because this way the cat will be able to orient itself and be invaded by all the smells that are usually in the environment. Cats have an excellent sense of smell and will be the most used sense outdoors (as long as there are no loud noises).

If everything goes well, your cat will feel more comfortable walking with a strap on the outside, this way you’ll make the walks longer and farther from home, but always let it take its own path, accompanying the movement of the strap with your hand, almost like a mere spectator of the event.

Next we offer you some advice and obligations that you have to carry out so that the conditions are the right ones to get to walk a cat on a leash. If you do everything right, this training can be done together with teaching your cat to use the WC in all his satisfaction as a trainer and owner.

• Before putting a leg out of the portal you should consult your veterinarian the vaccines that your cat should have up to dateIt is your duty to ensure not only the safety of others but also that of your own pet, because on the outside there are all kinds of diseases that do not require contact with another feline so that they can contract them.

• In case the cat receives some stimulus that escapes from its control it will try to escape from the possible danger by all means, so you must be prepared physically and mentally for that kind of eventualities.

• The goal of walking the cat away from home is that the life of cat is enriched thanks to see more world, to receive other types of stimuli of which he is accustomed and in this way to build a much deeper relationship with him. Do not think that you are going to behave like a dog and that later you can release your leash to take it walking beside you and even play with it, it is highly unlikely that the cat will reach that point of confidence and security.

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