Taking Walks Together | BUZZFEED VIDEO

Getting Your Cat Used To Taking Walks,

Is a Very Good Idea.

Whenever Your Cat Can't Walk Freely Outside, By Itself,

Taking Walks Together On a Leash Is Greatly Beneficial For Both You and Your Pet.

Being Cooped Up Inside ALL THE TIME 

Would Make Anyone Restless And Stressed, 

It Could Even Result In Depression.

This Is Very Much True For Most Species, Not Just Us Humans.

Therefore a Walk Together Would be a Great Way To Battle This.

Let Your Pet Get To Feel The Grass Under Their Paws, Let Them Breathe In Some Fresh Air.

I Have Five Cats, and in My Experience, a Little Walk Outside, Is a Great De-Stresser,

That They Truly Need To Feel Happy, and To Lead Well-Balanced Lives.

Now, a Lot Of People Could Argue That

"It Doesn't Like The Harness, Or The Leash"

"It Doesn't Seem To Enjoy This Walking-Thing At All!"

Like These CatParents Do In This BuzzFeed-Video:

And That May All Be Well and True, 

But That's Only Because It's Something You Have To Train At.

You Have To Let Them Get Used To Wearing a Leash/Harness,

You Have To Remember, Everything Feels Weird and Unknown The First Time You Try Something.

And It's No Different For Your Pet.

The Notion That Dogs Take To Walking More Easily Than Cats or Other Pets, 

Is a Myth. Pure Fiction.

As Any Dog-Owner Will Tell You; 

Getting Your Dog To Be Fabulous At Taking Walks With Them, 

Is Something They TAUGHT Them How To Do.

It's Not Something You Come Out Of The Womb, Pre-Programmed With.

Just Like We Don't Come Out, Knowing How To Talk.

You Need To PARENT Your Pet-Baby Just As Much.

You Have To Be Patient, Give Them Time, and Teach Them Stuff.

Walking Your Cat On a Leash Is Also a Great Way To Teach Cats Who Will Eventually Be Allowed To Walk Freely, What's Allowed To Do Or Not.

Such as; How Far Away Is It Okay To Go. Show Them By Always Taking Walks Within a Certain Perimeter Of Your House. Tell Them; 

"This Is Our House, Our Garden, So It's All YOUR TERRITORY"

"That House Over There, NEVER GO THERE, DOGS LIVE THERE"

"Don't Go Much Further Away From Our House Than I've Showed You Please, 

It Makes Me Anxious For You"

Those Are Just a Few Examples.

If You Just Communicate With Your Pet Often Enough, You'd Me Amazed At Just How Much You'll Get Across With a Simple Just Telling Them Why And What You'd Like Them To Do/Not Do.

(It Can Take Time Ofc, You Don't Learn To Understand Other Humans As a Kid Right Away Either, Give Them Time, and LOTS and LOTS Of Talking From You!^^)

TIP: Start Off Your Walks With Small Areas, And Expand Gradually Over Many Walks.
To Get Your Pet Comfortable With The Area, One Step At a Time.

CARS:

Teaching Your Pet That They Shouldn't Go Underneath Cars, Is a Great Lesson You Can Teach Them, By Walking Them On a Leash.

If They Try To Take a Shirt-Cut Under The Car, Get Them Out Of There.

Tell Them No, Not Allowed.

Teach Them To Always Go AROUND Cars, By Walking Around It As You Pass.

It Really Works!

Cats Can Get Killed, If They Sit Under Vehicles.

So This Lesson Is a Particularly Important One, That They Truly Need.

Also, If They Walk Freely, And You See Them Under a Car, Get Them Out From Under There.

Show Them That It's Not Allowed By Following Up, And Reacting With Removing Them From Under There, Whenever They Do It.

HOW TO PICK A HARNESS

I Would Recommend Getting a Comfy Harness Shaped Like These Ones

I've Experienced That The Traditional Harnesses

And Single Neck-Collars

Are VERY UNCOMFORTABLE For Pets.

a Friend Of Mine, Who's a Dog-Owner, 

Put Me On To The Idea Of Using a Soft Harness, 

As She Uses One For Her Dog.

The Way The Soft, Body-Like Harnesses Is Shaped, 

It Prevents That Choking Feeling Around The Neck,

Which Can Actually Be REALLY HARMFUL For Pets (And Anyone)

It Could Result In Damage To The Throat Of Your Pet, 

And It's Overall Just Plain Unpleasant and Restricting To Wear.

Every Time The Leash Runs Out Of Length, 

(And Your Know How Suddenly They've Excitedly Run Over To Something 

To Take a Whiff or a Look-See)
The Knee-Jerk Tug Of The Leash, Is Going To Be Very Unpleasant, 

And Might Even Be Painful For Your Pet.

Body-Like Harnesses Move The Pressure Point From The Neck, To The Middle Of Their Back,
Making Sure The Neck Isn't Going To Get The Front Of Such a Tugging-Sensation.

I've Also Noticed That It Makes It Easier For Them To Respond To The Leash Running Out Of Length, So They Can Stop and Wait For You To Catch Up With Them.

HOW TO PUT ON A HARNESS

I've Found That Putting It On From Behind, Neck First, Then Stomach.
Let Your Cat Know Everything Before You Do It, Don't Surprise Them From Behind Or Anything.

When Your Cat Starts To Get Good
"Yaay, I Get To Explore Outside! Something FUN Is Happening!"
Whenever The Harness and Leash Come Out,
Eventually It'll Get Excited For You To Put It On.

HOW TO PICK A LEASH

I'd Also Recommend Getting a Flexi-Cord Leash

So You Can Afford Your Pet Greater Exploration, and Also Get Better Control Of How Far Away From You Your Pet Gets, By Controlling The Stop-Button.

NOTE: Don't Release The Stop Button Suddenly, When There's a Lot Of Leash Out, It Will Have a Bunging, Snapping Effect Of The Cord, And Might Hit Your Pet.

Just Grip The Leash Gently Between Your Fingers 

And Let The Corn Release Slowly Between Them, 

After Undoing The Stop Button.

Maintaining Full Control Of The Release Of The Leash At All Times.

It's Also Good To Not SUDDENLY Press The Stop Button Just As Your Pet Reaches The Length You Want It To Stop At. It's Going To Have That Sudden, Tugging, 

Coming To a Sketching Halt  Feeling. Unpleasant To Say The Least.

Estimate/Plan Ahead Of Time; Just Before They Reach The Limit You Want To Set, Gently Press Stop, a Few Moments BEFORE They've Actually Reached The Limit You've Set.

Just Pull Out As Much Of The Cord, Until You Reach Your Set Stop-Point, Press Stop, 

And Let Them Walk Freely, Within The Range.

I Find That Non-Brand Flexi-Cords Have Been Just as Sturdy, 

and Work Just As Fine As More Expensive Brand Ones.

Just Get The One That Fits Your Hand (They Come In Different Sizes)

and Find The One With The Most Range (Cord-Length)

And You're Set! ^^

IMPORTANT:

Make Sure You Find a Safe Environment To Take Walks In.

Public Places, Or Grassy-Areas Owned By Others Might Present Dangers, 

Such as Weed-Poison (Which Is DEADLY For Pets), Broken Glass etc. And Other Things.

Find a Clear, Clean Area.

A Backyard Where You Know For a Fact That There's No Such Dangers, 

As Mentioned Above, Are Great! ^^

REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT!
If You're Walking Close To Roads With Cars, Bicycles etc.

Do NOT Let Your Pet Roam On a Long Leash.

Have It Short, and As Close To You As Possible, 

So You Won't Run The Risk Of Your Pet Suddenly Running In Front Of Something,
Or Someone Acting Else Recklessly, And Your Pet Getting Hit/Harmed.

It's Also Really Important That You Know,
When Cats Are On a Leash, They SHOULD NOT 

Be Within a Range Where They Might Encounter Another Animal.

They Will Most Likely Get Scared, Feel Trapped and Might Panic, Scream, Scratch, Frantically Try To Get Away From The Other Animal.

You Should Only Allow Contact With Other Animals If You KNOW FOR SURE

That The Pet On The Leash Won't Mind, and Won't Feel Trapped. and Vulnerable.

a Little TRICK

I've Learned, Is To Train Your Cat To Feel Safe In Your Arms

If a Car Drives By, Pick It Up, Hold It Close, Let Them Know That

"Whenever I've Got You, No One Can Get To You, Nothing Bad Can Happen"

This Might Prove EXTREMELY Handy Just In General

If Your Cat Ever Gets Scared In a Situation Where You 

HAVE TO PICK IT UP To Save It From Something.

It Let's You Have Complete Control Over The Situation, And Secures Your Pets Safety.

Sometimes Pets Get So Scared, They Just Want To Run Away From The Thing That's Scary.

If You're In a Situation Where Reacting Like That Would ENDANGER Their Safety, Knowing That They Won't Freak Out and Fight You, If You Try To Pick Them Up, To Get Them To Safety,

Is a Great Asset as a PetParent.

FOR CATS WHO DON'T LIKE 
HARNESSES & LEASHES
For Some, Having a Harness and a Leash, and Having Someone Else Control You
Can Be Really Scary
To Get Your Cat That Valuable Outside Experience, Try a Big Cage!

 

That Way, It's Less Scary, and They Still Get Some Fun Experiences.
After a While of Using The Cage, 
You Can Make Steps To Get Your Cat Used To a Harness and a Leash. 
Be Patient.

One of My Cats Had To Be In a Cage Whenever We Went Outside For Over a Year, 
Before He Managed To Get Comfortable Enough To Let Me Put a Harness On Him.
Being a Rescue, Having Been Abused By People Before He Came To Be Part Of Our Family 
He'd Had Some Very Bad Experiences With People Having Full Control Over His Movements. 
So It Was Quite a Big Hurdle For Him. 
Respecting Their Boundaries And Giving Them Time And Space Is Key.

Putting Your Cat Into The Cage BEFORE You Open The Door, 
and Carry The Cage Outside Is Very Helpful. It Boasts Their Sense of Security, 
They Get To Experience The Introduction Of The Outside World In a Controlled Way.

Walking Buddies <3
Not Only Does It Got Great Benefits For My Cats and Their Moods.
It's Also Been Greatly Beneficial For My Health, and Overall Being,
Having a Walking-Buddy or Two, To Get Me Out Of The House
For Some Dearly Needed Fresh Air,
A Break From The Hustle and Bustle Of Modern Life. ^^