Good or bad idea?

[DogLover9501]

As some of you know, I have been "harness training" Emma...

She has gotten very comfortable with her harness on and doesn't seem to mind it at all.

My problem is, my aunt told me that when she harness trained her cat and started taking her outside, the cat was ALWAYS curious about outside and whenever someone opens the door she now RACES to get out :eek:

So I started wondering...do I just let Emma stay inside 24/7 since she doesn't even bother with looking/going out? Or will she be the same as my aunt's cat if I take her outside on the harness?

Thanks

[Tonya]

Well, I do know that Ron went a few years without being interested in the outdoors. Then, one day, he went outside and has wanted out ever since. Luckily he's to lazy to run though so we just pick him up and carry him back inside.

[PJ's Mom]

Pumpkin and Barclay are the same way. Once they had a taste of freedom, there was no turning back. :rolleyes:

[jenluckenbach]

As soon as a cat realizes there is something behind that "forbidden door" there will be no stopping the urge to be there. And that door could even be the door to your closet or cellar. If a cat has been denied access in the past and even once gets past it to realize that there IS a place on the other side, their curiosity will always get the better of them. So you must choose which is more important. Allowing them outside (supervised) or allowing them to be happy inside (with less of a chance of wanting to sneak out).

[catcrazylady]

I thought about all of this myself when I was considering leash training a few of the cats. Sammy has always been indoor and anytime we go outside he would cry and cry to come out on the deck with us. We started letting him out and things went sour quickly! He wouldn't behave, got really nasty and didn't want to come in, screamed at the door all the time to go back out, so we decided that it only made things worse for us. I don't think this is the same situation for every cat so I guess this has to be a personal decision. I decided that for us it was easier to just forget it!;) :D

[Samantha Puppy]

The woman I got Sushi and Kirin from said that even taking cats out on a leash isn't wise because once they have a taste of the outdoors, they won't forget it and do exactly what you said your aunt's cat did.

Soooo... I only take Sushi and Kirin outside the house in a carrier.

[mina'smomma]

I don't know I tried to take Mina outside once and she wouldn't go. She doesn't like to be outside. If we even take her near the door she nearly decapitates us to get back up the stairs to the apartment.

[JRM]

My cat Winston loves to go outside on his leash. The only time he goes out without it is when he's on the second story deck. It's completely enclosed by a railing that's too narrow for his bulk to get through. The one leash training rule I learned that helped the most was never let them actually walk out the door. I always pick him up and place him out in the yard. For some reason, this turns off the association between the open door and running outside. He would initially cry at the door and whack at the blinds, but once he saw that it didn't get him anywhere he stopped.

[catmandu]

I Feel badly sometimes about keeping The Found Cats,in,as I know that they would love,to lay,in thier BackYard,but thats how MooseThe Magnificent disappered twice,and JJJ3,and the Siamese,roam,too far,from thier home,and I just cant take the chance,of them being lost,or hurt.

[Maya & Inka's mommy]

My cats were not interested in going outside first. But then we let them play in the garden; since then, they "ask" to go outside everytime someone touches the door to the patio....!

[DogLover9501]

Thanks everyone!

I think Im going to forget letting her out for now, she's very happy being inside and doesn't even bother to look out the window very often, so Im going to keep it that way ;)