Training Cats

   One of the first things to consider about walking your cat on a leash is location.  All animals, regardless of whether they are cats, dogs, or iguanas, spook very, very easily in locations that are new and foreign to them. 

     Here are a few ideas to consider when taking your cat outside.  Is the area very noisy or heavily trafficked but either pedestrians or vehicles.  If so you will want to walk your cat, holding them in your arms, around the area at which you will be walking him or her .  Let them smell some the wild life and generally just get the “feel” of the land.  This will give the cat a reference point as to create his or her own internal map back to home. Another thought to getting your cat to walk outside, if they are only indoor cats, is if you have a breezeway or even a deck take the cat out there first and let them get used to that first.  It’s generally a good rule of thumb to start with a small location for a cat and let it grow from there so the cat can draw it’s map gradually.  When I first started walking my younger cat on a leash.  We lived in second story apartment with a fenced balcony.  I put objects in the way of the bars so as to create perches for the cats and to make small enough holes so that they couldn’t jump off the balcony.  I tried taking my younger cat outside into a small grassy area before building the balcony perches, but it did not work passing the balcony.  The cat was too skidish and even in a calm area his first instinct to hide took over.  All the bushes to hide in were thorn bushes so I just scooped him up and took him back inside.

   I hope this helps you if you are out there trying to learn the art of catwalking.  Click in tomorrow to read about my discussion of leashes and collars vs. harnesses.

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