Is it weird to walk your cat on a leash?

A Challenge

When Casper our ragdoll cat was six months old, I started training him to wear a harness and to learn to walk on a leash.

My motivation was to give Casper some extra exciting moments he would enjoy.

Our cats Casper and Binx are indoor cats and always will be. But I realise that cats are curious by nature. Cats have an instinctive need to explore the outside world they can see from the window.

But I don’t want to expose our precious kitties to all the dangers of the outside world. Especially because they have never been outside on their own when they were smaller.

That is why I think that walking our cats on a leash provides us a good solution.

When I started this endeavour, I quickly realised that teaching your cat to walk on a leash was going to take time and patience and time.

Cats don’t just accept going for a walk on a leash just like that.They must be introduced gradually to the circumstances of the harness, the leash and the outside world. Cat Walking is hot , watch how much Casper enjoys it.

You can see how I went about to teach Casper to wear a harness in this video.

In my opinion, you will need a harness for your cat. And it is better not to walk your cat on a leash attached to your cat’s collar. It will be to risky for hurting your cat.

I have bought a bicycle basket for cats or dogs. And when we go out, Casper goes into the basket and we drive to a green area that is relatively calm with green fields, bushes and trees. It is an area free of vehicles. Only bicycles, joggers and people walking their dogs use this area.

After a couple of times, I noticed Casper got really excited to go out. Sitting at the front door and meowing, signalling it was time to go outside. Just like a dog.

I have read some articles that walking your cat can be very stressful. Nevertheless, it is my intention to continue doing this with Casper and Binx, as long I as i see that they enjoy it.

I am very careful not to cause stress by going to crowded or city-like areas.

Video playlist

Below you can see multiple videos I recorded of our outdoor walking trips. It’s a playlist of videos on our Youtube Channel. This playlist will grow with futur walking outdoor adventures with both of our ragdoll cats Casper and Binx.