Cat Harness

[Sad Eyed Lady]

Has anyone here had a successful experience in getting their cat used to a harness and leash? I have two totally indoor cats that will be 9 years old in early 2013. They have never been outside except for a few trips to the vet. One of them is now rebelling BIG TIME - totally goes berserk if you try to put him in a carrier and the last two times we have not been successful at all! It is amazing that a little 10 lb cat can have so much strength and to cut to the chase it is not worth the stress for either him or us any longer. Fortunately we have a vet that will sell us something simple like amoxicillin when needed. I am thinking that if he could walk on a leash and harness he might be more willing to go rather than being confined in a small space. If you have had success with this, what type of harness do use and how long to expect him to get used to it? There is something called Kitty Holster that I found when I googled cat harness, but would love to hear from someone in "real (cyber) life" first before making a decision. Any help or insight you can give would be great. The carrier just seems totally out of the question right now, but I would love to know about the harness alternative. :help:

[ToomuchStuff]

I would think this would be like bathing cats. You have to start them on it EARLY, to be comfortable with it. As is I am sure they associate the carrier with the vet (shots/pain).
When my parents moved years back the LAST thing out of the house was the cat. She had absolutely NOTHING in the house to hide under and still ran for around 30 minutes before angrily giving up.

I think you will have better luck doing this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk7yqlTMvp8

[Rosemary]

I had one cat that would walk on a leash and harness, but she began when she was a kitten.
Maybe you could get some meds from your vet that would relax the cat, to keep in the house for when you might need them?
Another idea is to leave the carrier (or a new carrier, maybe a soft-sided one?) in the house all the time so that the cat sees it as a safe place and might even start napping in it. Put some catnip inside and a favorite blanket?

[bunnys]

I bought harnesses for my 2 completely indoor cats once.

It was a disaster. They went freaking nuts and almost wriggled their way out of the harness. I returned them the next day.

[Sad Eyed Lady]

I bought harnesses for my 2 completely indoor cats once.

It was a disaster. They went freaking nuts and almost wriggled their way out of the harness. I returned them the next day.

I just have the feeling that is exactly how my boys would be. I may give up the harness idea.......... to be ruled by a 10 lb fur ball............. the story of my life.

[cdttmm]

We have two cats and they can be a challenge when they want to be. But here are a few ideas that might help you. First, try a larger sized pet carrier because the larger door on the carrier may make it easier to get your cat inside. Second, try wrapping your cat in a towel or a small blanket in order to keep the cat's legs more immobile, this might make it easier to then shove said cat into the pet carrier. We use a lap throw to wrap up our one cat on a regular basis because he needs to receive subcutaneous fluids every other day to help with his diminishing kidney function. He's always annoyed initially when I put the lap throw over him and scoop him up, but as soon as he can poke his head out he is fine. He doesn't squirm that much and it's sort of like holding a giant cat burrito. :D

[rosarugosa]

We had the same experience as Bunnys, and we're luck nobody got hung!
We always get out the cat carrier and leave it in plain sight the day before. When it's time, I get the carrier and open it with the door pointed upwards. DH grabs the cat and pops him in head first. I grab and tuck in uncooperative limbs as needed.

[Tussiemussies]

Never realized how difficult it is to get your cat to the vet. Once the vet sees them do they know they are going home and then are willing to go in the carrier? Hope so!

[Jilly]

My best guess is that no cat is too old to learn anything.

No circumstance or situation is hopeless.

Terrified cats, or any other living creatures, are not a good candidate for productive and long-term well-being.

Twenty-eight years of rescue organization, private and municipal shelter work, animal rescue experience and support to their families (if they even have any) has given the opportunity and gift of knowing countless pets and their people. So, the short version of that (and trust me, the long version will drive you wonky, I swear) is being loving and supportive is essential in all aspects of our lives, and with every single living creature that we take into our realm of influence.

I have successfully bathed, groomed, adjusted and trained elderly animals, feral animals and animals who have never had life experiences that would convince them to trust people. I do have specialized training, but anyone can be successful. True.

Quick tips.
No training, of pets or people, can be immediately successful.
Gentle and gradual introduction of objects, materials or concepts is essential, and needs to progress as the pace appropriate to the pet/person who someone believes to be in need of the object, material, concept, or, as in this situation, training.
First attempt failure is not indicative of future and eventual success.
The trainer's beliefs and actions are often the most influential aspect.

Harnesses.
The most common type is the figure-eight one. That harness can work, but because the whole thing is so slidey, able to self-adjust, it is often uncomfortable and feels like potential strangulation to cats. There is no effective way of preventing the harness from tightening around your cat's neck, because cats move and the thing moves.

A better kind is the one that sort of looks like the capital letter H. It has a band that does down the back, with separate straps that fasten around the neck and torso.
The first experience with the harness should be where it is loosely fastened around the neck, and only very slightly less loose around the torso.
Put it on when you have spent a bit of time with your cat, calming her/him.
Lay the fully opened harness over your cat's back and let it rest there.
Then, loosely fasten the collar part around your cat's neck, continuing to murmur sweet nothings to help keep your cat calm.
If your cat takes flight, leave her/him alone unless she/he puts her/himself in danger. If your cat totally freaks, gather up your cat and re-calm, leaving the harness in place.
This is the most difficult part because everyone is highly excited.
Next, fasten the torso/trunk part of the harness.
Do not attempt to use a lead/leash and leave the harness in place for as long as it takes your cat to become accustomed to it.
Take it off at night.
Repeat the next day.

If you are unable to calm your cat to do this, then learning how to do that is where you need to begin. And, do not take your experience in this area personally. It takes time to undo the things that have not worked in the past.

No one is responsible for initial failure in training because, well, no one is born knowing how to do any of this. Except for my daughter, the creature whisperer, but that is another story.

Carriers.
Leave them out and open all the time. All the time. Every day. Every night. They might not match your decor, but having them become a normal part of your environment may be what it takes to significantly decrease or entirely eliminate your cat's fear of them. Do not clean them unless someone has vomited or had another accident in them. All of the hair and dander will provide comfort and familiarity to your cat.

That said, there will be cats that remain resistant to being shoved in a carrier. It happens. My cats have always slept and played in their carriers and that makes it stunningly easy to scoop them up (at least the first one :D) and get them inside before they can resist.

For those of you still struggling with cats and carriers, you can use physics (might have the discipline wrong, though) to facilitate the whole cat-into-weird-container thing. I have done this alone, but it is easier if you have an accomplice, at least the first time.

Have the helper distract your cat. This can be on the floor or a piece of furniture. You approach with the carrier, with the open end facing down and simply place it over the cat. Similar to the way you would use a glass or cup to catch a bug to transfer it to the outdoors. If the cat sees or senses the carrier coming, she/he may begin to struggle to escape, but this is where your helper comes in handy and where being focused and doing it quickly really helps.

Once covered by the carrier you cat may need a moment or so to settle down. Even is she/he does not, you can still proceed.

Your helper is there to nudge your cat into the interior of the carrier when you begin tipping it over, the door gets closed and no one loses a limb or suffers any other kind of injury. A dedicated cat might get in a claw swipe, but that is a small price to pay for a closed carrier with a cat inside.

I have to admit that when we got our first cat that I applied the supportive techniques that I was already using with humans, but until I became more educated, all of that worked well enough.

Living with anyone, pet or human, who has terror issues is just so distressing. Your anxiety levels leap dramatically when you know that you have to carrier-ize your pet, that anxiety and fear is immediately sensed and processed by your pet and the cycle eventually becomes the process by which you all operate.

Again, no one is born knowing this stuff. When you become more comfortable with the thought of training or doing anything with your pet, you pet will feel more comfortable as well. Works great with children and spouses and friends, too.

Yeah, I know that I am preachy. I really do. Yep.:~)

[Tussiemussies]

You can also use homeopathy medicine, which has no side effects, for anxiety. I have used this with my dogs with great success, it really helped to calm them down on the 4th of July with all of the fireworks, which they were very afraid of.

Here is the URL:

http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/Only-Natural-Pet-Stress-Anxiety-Homeopathic-Remedy/999251.aspx

P.S. I also found one for nervousness and fear:

http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/newton-homeopathics-nervousness-fear/161005.aspx


:)

[Sad Eyed Lady]

Thanks Jilly for the encouragement and reminder that slowly and patiently is the way to go when trying something new with a pet. Whether we continue thinking about the harness (which I doubt), or introduce a new carrier I will certainly take your advise in leaving it out and open so it is not a threatening thing that only appears before a trip to the vet.

And thank you Tussiemussies for the link on homeopathic medicine for pets. I have used homeopathy for myself and had always wondered if they did indeed help pets.

[Jilly]

The homeopathic resources reminded me of a cat we had. We fostered a cat that had been abused and suffered a head injury. He came a long way back to trusting people again, but still had serious anxiety. I was never able to completely alleviate his fears, but he would lick the pet Rescue Remedy from my fingertip. He would relax, but I was never certain if it was the Rescue Remedy or the extra attention to helping him calm himself. Guess it really does not matter.

Another thing to remember is that it is unlikely that we will be able to do everything perfectly with our pets. Goes for our people, too, I guess. All we can do is what we can do. It has to be enough.

[ToomuchStuff]

He doesn't squirm that much and it's sort of like holding a giant cat burrito. :D

Sounds delicious, have the recipe?:laff:

[Jilly]

lol

[pony mom]

My cat was so bad at the vet that they techs would wear attack dog gloves to hold her!

We did get some sort of tranquilizer pill for my late cat; I crushed it and mixed it in some vaseline and smeared on on her lips so she would lick it off. It worked really well and really quickly.

As for the harness, my cat had been a stray, then in/out, then indoor cat. In her later years I had a harness shaped like an H, which won't tighten when they move. She would wander around while on it, then fall asleep. Maybe the snug feeling relaxed her, or she was just overwhelmed with our trips to my grandmother's house. I wouldn't trust it to contain a really crazy cat though.

[CatsNK]

Ali goes in the harness almost every day. When he got idiopathic UTIs his vet told us to start letting him spend time outside to ease his stress level. I would only put him out on a leash/harness as I'm afraid of him getting run over by a car. He doesn't mind the harness at all. I even take him on walks like a dog around the property. He's not great at that bit, but he's just fine on the harness outside.