Walking Savannah's Outside/Behavior as a Result

[Diane & Zeus]

Hi I have a 4.5 year old male Savannah that I rescued. The last owner never let him outside, I was inclined to do the same but he is no longer a rich kitty and I don't have a lot of space for him to run around so he is getting lazy and gaining weight. My first attempt outside was with the dog harness he came with. he quickly escaped and I had to chase him all over the yard to finally catch him. more research on savannah cat chat and I ordered a walking jacket from mynwoodcatjackets. secured it tightly and tried again. I also got a flexi leash which maybe I should have worked up to.

At first it was fine, walking around the back yard, not letting him go too far or in any bushes. but then he got comfortable and made a serious run that ran the length of the leash and then popped out of my hand from the speed and strength. this happened again and then he also started escaping from the jacket. luckily I was there this time to catch him as he got it off. he went all wild cat growling so I kept a firm hold on the back of his neck and waited for him to calm down before picking him up. then it was back to the carrier.

Am I always going to have to worry about him escaping the jacket? should I never let him run? Did I give too much freedom too soon? He obviously loved it outside and its good exercise for both of us but not at the expense of losing him. Should I start with a short leash and try actual walking training first before any free explore time? or we stay inside and I chase him around the apartment for exercise, lol

 

[admin]

Hi I have a 4.5 year old male Savannah that I rescued. The last owner never let him outside, I was inclined to do the same but he is no longer a rich kitty and I don't have a lot of space for him to run around so he is getting lazy and gaining weight. My first attempt outside was with the dog harness he came with. he quickly escaped and I had to chase him all over the yard to finally catch him. more research on savannah cat chat and I ordered a walking jacket from mynwoodcatjackets. secured it tightly and tried again. I also got a flexi leash which maybe I should have worked up to.

At first it was fine, walking around the back yard, not letting him go too far or in any bushes. but then he got comfortable and made a serious run that ran the length of the leash and then popped out of my hand from the speed and strength. this happened again and then he also started escaping from the jacket. luckily I was there this time to catch him as he got it off. he went all wild cat growling so I kept a firm hold on the back of his neck and waited for him to calm down before picking him up. then it was back to the carrier.

Am I always going to have to worry about him escaping the jacket? should I never let him run? Did I give too much freedom too soon? He obviously loved it outside and its good exercise for both of us but not at the expense of losing him. Should I start with a short leash and try actual walking training first before any free explore time? or we stay inside and I chase him around the apartment for exercise, lol

Hi Diane,

I would slow down and train him on a shorter leash...work up to the other one...you also need to make sure the walking jacket is very secure, so he cannot escape it...is it too large for him, perhaps?

Take him out for a few minutes on the short leash and see how he does...keep him close to you and do not let him run. Then after a while, give him a bit more length on the leash...but I would not give him too far to run or you may lose him forever...hope this helps.

 

[Ssparrow]

What I do when I walk my cat I stop a few times along the way and tell him what a good he is and erasure him everything is fine. And I have go were I want when we start our walk but on the way back I let him explore were he wants to go. That way I think I'm letting him know I'm the boss. And it works great. We both enjoy our walk. Some days it's a mile long and he walks all the way no carry him. Hope this helps. Good luck

 

[Tort518]

Check the walking jackets at www.hyendry.com.

The double-lock design is what I have for my cats.

 

[Diane & Zeus]

Hi
Yes I guess I need to start with reg leash and control him more. I under estimated his speed and strength. the jacket was custom made for his measurements but it does seem to adjust more bigger than smaller so I have to make it tight with 2 fingers space under. It was fine, not sure what he was up to when he ran, maybe the leash getting caught pulled at the jacket. I got to him with the jacket off his chest but still around neck then that was off too so I grabbed him. good thing we have been starting in the back yard and not out on streets. I'll also give him more time to get used to the jacket inside. Thanks for the tips!!

 

[andygravity]

The jackets are great, but they can back out of the ones from Mynwood under the right(wrong) circumstances.
I leash trained both Pixel and Kato, but had to walk them separately, as they would pull in opposite directions. ;-). Each walk was an adventure. Pixel was the stronger of the two. Kato liked to climb trees. These walks were a great way to burn off energy, and I also have a Cat Exercise Wheel, which Kato considered his property.
Eventually, Kato would 'heal', without the leash, and could walk with me, from interest to interest then stop and lie down for awhile, before moving on. A walk to the end of the long block could take an hour, unless I carried him back. Kato would also come when called...this worked fairly reliably, when he dashed off to chase a bunny or decided to try a roof run, going after a bird during one of our un-leashed walks. The neighbors were amazed.

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

I would not adjust with fingers under the chest band... that gives a cat the space to get their front elbow under the jacket and thence back out of the jacket especially when you are pulling on the leash in the other direction... it's a common mistake to make the chest part of the walking jacket fasten too loosely. It is not their throat so you are not going to choke them if that is firmly placed...

 

[NikkiA]

Hi Diane!
Glad you brought Zeus home. He doesn't care how rich you are, he cares about how much time the two of you spend together.
Regarding walking outside, don't blame yourself for him getting loose briefly, a lot of us have had those scares. I take my boy, D, outside, and he has gotten lose (and been retrieved) more than once. They are smart kitties.
As the others have said, you may have an easier time with a shorter leash. I walk D on a 6' leash, and it is wrapped around my hand and wrist (because otherwise he can jerk it out of my control). I have a longer leash that we take into the backyard only, but i still worry. If you were not worrying, you wouldn't be a good SV parent, so good for you.

 

[Tort518]

I would not adjust with fingers under the chest band... that gives a cat the space to get their front elbow under the jacket and thence back out of the jacket especially when you are pulling on the leash in the other direction... it's a common mistake to make the chest part of the walking jacket fasten too loosely. It is not their throat so you are not going to choke them if that is firmly placed...

When I am putting on Yuki's jacket she tries to get her elbow in the way to keep it from being fastened correctly. Smart critter.

 

[Diane & Zeus]

Thanks everyone. I worried I had the whole jacket too tight, but I'll keep the chest fastened tight, good point. double lock would be a good feature. after both times getting loose I was thinking I needed a full body jacket with many locks, if he wants to be Houdini cat ... lol. I'll go back to regular leash and new jacket for 3rd try. I think it will be good for him to get outside for walks, I work at home so all he see's is me and my 15 year old female cat always sitting or sleeping so he is joining us in the lazy.