advice needed

[Lil Demon's Mom]

I want to leash train Schrodinger, but so far haven't had much luck finding info on the internet about leash training a kitten.

I got him a leash and a harness, but once I get him in the harness he just lays down on the ground and refuses to do anything other than cry.

I would love for him to be my walking companion, but he is very stubborn!

 

[admin]

If you type leash training into the search box, you will come up with all kinds of advice...here is a thread to get you started: http://www.savannahcatchat.com/threads/leash-walking-jacket-training.4096/page-2#post-66311

 

[Patti]

Yes, there are several threads here about leash training, you should be able to find the info an encouragement you need. First step though, don't worry about his reaction to the harness, it is typical and in fact some cats react more dramatically. Just leave it on him (supervised), eventually he will forget it's on him and start acting normally again. It may take a few attempts so don't give up.

 

[Rafiki]

All my other cats would act like I placed an anvil on their back when I first tried the harness. Their bellies would hit the ground and stay there. Rafiki on the other hand, threw herself down the hallway and rolled and summersaulted and slammed into walls trying to get the thing off. I uploaded a video somewhere on this site. It was pretty funny. I would put it on her for a few minutes per day and it took about 2 weeks for her to chill out. Now if you show her the jacket, she gets all excited - but in a good way! Be patient, it will be worth it.

 

[Carykd7kau]

When I first put the harness on Kilifi, she looked at me like " really???" About 10 seconds of wiggling then all was ok. Putting it on is the hard part. She hates to sit still that long. Not sure if Patti ever had a harness on her before I got her, but she is well adapted to being on a leash. Hope Schrodinger takes to it well and is comfy in it. It is fun to have a "Cat on a string".

 

[Bekki]

I was lucky the breeder I adopted my Loki from had already harness trained him for me. I guess it's a couple weeks of leaving the harness on for growing lengths of time. (Try distracting with a toy and getting him playing works pretty well) once he's comfortable with the harness move on to exploring outside. I saw a video on one of the threads here about using a tennis racket to guide the cat ahead of you. But I don't think you can really train a cat to walk. They train you to follow my Loki is getting better at the exploring part of it. and when he's sick of exploring jumps up on my shoulders and lets me haul him around. I've had him for a few weeks about a month or so I believe and has slowly progressed. I imagine it will take another month to really work on the walking portion of it.,I actively try to train him to be fearless. Constantly change the scenery take on cat rides meet new people. And he's grown accustomed to it.


"Those who wander aren't always lost"