Conference misery::feline_v1

    I'm surprised you haven't been flooded with replies from cat-walking
    owners.  We have a Siamese, 15-1/2 years old now, who has walked on
    a lead (or leash) since she was a kitten.  I got her used to a collar
    first, then put the lead on her and let her drag it around until she
    was used to it.  Then I took her outside and followed her around with
    the lead until she was used to that.  Then, very gradually, I talked
    her into going where I wanted to go.  That took the longest to
    accomplish, and I will admit, I was never 100 percent successful at
    that.  Sometimes we walked where she wanted to go, sometimes it was
    my choice, but basically we ended our walks smiling at each other,
    not fighting.
    
    The whole purpose of this exercise was that we were a camping family, 
    and when we went camping, we took the dog and cat with us.  Ching had
    to learn to walk on a lead, or she'd be confined to the trailer or
    left at home.  I started out walking both the dog and cat at the same
    time, but that was a disaster of tangled leashes, so usually I'd walk
    the dog and one of the kids would walk the cat.  Sometimes the cat
    walked the kid, however.  
    
    Since we've given up camping, Ching doesn't walk on the lead except to
    get around at the vet's, but she still doesn't seem to mind.
    
    I'm sure there are many other Feliners who have similar stories.
    
    Lynda

    I leash trained Kelsey, with a collar and lead.  I tried a harness,
    but he just wouldn't take to it.  He took to the collar and lead
    almost instantly.  He started out flat on his stomach and slithered
    around like a snake, then finally decided that walking with his feet
    got him where he wanted to be faster.  I was really surprised how
    quickly he learned.  He also knows where he is allowed to walk,
    and where he isn't, for example, each time he tried to enter the
    road (not busy but who takes chances?), I would pick him up, say
    "NO" and carry him a few feet back to the yard.  Now he even knows
    where he lives, and when he has had enough fresh air, he leads me
    back to the doorstep and puts his front paws on the door, "asking"
    me to open it.
    
    Would I leash train another cat?  No way!!  Kelsey *expects* his
    walks, and is a royal pain until I get the leash out and take him.
    He screams (SCREAMS is a better word actually) at the front door
    non-stop and each time I open the junk drawer (where the leash is
    kept), he jumps up onto the counter and drags the leash out.  It is
    aggravating, to say the least.
    
    The first thing I plan to do when we sell our townhouse and buy
    a house is plan an outdoor enclosure for the cats to play in and
    have Dana build it.  In fact, when we go house-hunting, I will make
    certain that the backyard is conducive to owning multiple cats!
    
    
    --Roberta (who won't be house hunting for a long time.... sigh....)
    
    

    You've already heard about the Furry foursome and their harnesses
    and leashes.  Mao even walks like a dog on her leash through
    the conservation land and loves it.
      We're working on Flame now who either falls over "I'm paralyzed!!
    I can't move!!" when we put the harness on or tries to back out of
    it.  Its hysterical to watch this ball of red fur backing around
    the house and bumping into things!
      Silly cat!
    

    Funny stories!  When my Sasha was tiny, I also tried a leash - I
    forget why I wanted to.  Actually, it was a harness - I put it
    on her - it was a very pretty baby blue (to match her eyes of course)
    very soft soft leather, got it all hooked up - put Sasha on the
    floor of the bedroom, I stood up and picked up the lead, and then
    Sasha proceeded to lay flat on her stomach with all four legs
    spread eagled out straight on each side.  It was probably the
    funniest sight I had seen in a long time!  She looked like a
    paper towel tube with four spokes - she also put her head flat
    on the floor, tail straight out behind her.  When I picked her
    up she just when limp until I took the harness off!  I howled
    for days over that.  Hmm.  Just think, those were the days I
    only had ONE cat!!!  How times change!
    
    E.T.

    We tried putting a collar on Snuggles once.  She backed all over the
    kitchen, not looking where she was going, and ended up butt-first in
    her water dish!  I can't remember when I've laughed so hard.
    
    Paula M.
    

      
      You'all just DON'T UNDERSTAND!!
    
      Siamese cats seem to have certain "canine" tendencies...like they
    love to retreive things and can be fairly easily trained to walk on a
    leash...(This DOES get a bit disconcerting when they climb a tree while
    on the leash...) 
    
      However...the REST of "kitty-dom" likes to "LAWN-SURF"!! You all just
    THINK these cats don't like to be on the leash...but what they REALLY
    want is to be placed on a nice, deep, lawn and gently drawn along on
    their sides....(preferably with a HARNESS rather than a
    leash)...VIOLA!!...LAWN-SURFING!!!
    
    
      JMcD

My dad thought it would be nice to be able to take T-II with him when he went
to fetch thae newspaper at the the paper store on the first floor of their co-op
in NYC.  After all, T-II was always escaping out the front door into the hall
anyway.  Well, I bought T-II one of those harness-leash combination jobs and 
after wrestling him into it, he took off like a shot.  Up the stairs, never to 
be seen again.  We figured we'd let him get used to the contraption all on his 
own, and then take him for a stroll down the hall.  

Well, an hour went by and no T-II. An hour and a half.  No T-II.  I finally went 
looking for him.  It took a while, but I finally found him in the loft, 
scrunched down behind some boxes.  What gave him away was the blue cord of the 
leash-harness draped over the box. T-II was so angry at me (he was never very 
affectionate to anyone other than my parents) that he wouldn't even let me touch 
him to take the thing off. After pinning him to the floor and getting the 
off, he went off and sulked for a half hour or so before showing his face again.
Even then, he wouldn't let me anywhere near him without much hissing.

I brought the leash home and Josh uses it when I let him explore the deck.  

Well, I personally don't have anything against people who can train their
cats to use harnesses, in fact I think they are amazing. It takes me at
least a half-hour to get Snickers collar back on when I have to take it
off, and then he tries to remove it at least once every 5 minutes. He has
even managed to get his front leg up into it.

I just thought it was a funny story, I can picture kitty on strike, and
I really liked the 'bad woman' ending.

    I thought it was that canines that had certain Siamese tendencies

    Deb

    I used to "tie out" my cats in the back yard.  They could roam
    the length of the lead, but were only able to go so far.  This
    was only if someone was staying out in the yard to "Cat-sit".
    I had my then new puppy tied out with my cat, and I had to go
    into the house for a minute.  I came right back out to see the
    puppy playing tug of war with the cat, by dragging the middle
    of the lead around.  The poor cat was not to happy being dragged
    around the backyard by his collar, and the puppy thought it was
    great fun.  Puppy got scolded , and never touched the cat's leadline
    again.
    
    L-

    
    	Sasha goes out on a leash.  Duke sometimes too but he doesn't
    	like to stay out long.  Brandi does get tied up, she roams on
    	her own and with Chloe's white fur I don't put her outside 
    	hardly at all.
    
    	Sasha loves it.  I can't get her to walk with it thought.  My
    	neighbor who also ties out her cat gets a good laugh when I try
    	and get Sasha to walk with me.  She just plops down in the grass
    	and won't get up until *she* wants to.  If Sasha is out, Alice
    	(my neighbor) has to let Lynx out or he'll drive her nuts.  He'll
    	sit in the window and cry until he can go out and see his 'buddy'.
    	They'll sniff at each other a few times and then go and do their
    	own thing.  Alot of people think I'm nuts but if it keeps her
    	happy......
    
    	JJ
    

    
    	Oops!  that was supposed to be Brandi *doesn't* get tied up...
    
    	jeesh! 

    Hey!  Burmese retreive, too!  
    
    They also wear collars with bells.  The bells help them remember
    where they are.  Without them they tend to lose themselves.
    
    -maureen