A walk in the park? Um...no. (UPDATE: Photos 5,6 & 7)

[caffeitina]

This past weekend, Jim and I thought it might be fun to get a cat harnass and cat leash for Howard and Luna....and walk the cats (who, I might add, are both strictly indoor cats). Silly us As many of you already know, this is NOT like walking a dog, where you snap the leash on and the poochie obediently and mindlessly follows her master wherever she may go. Oh no. Not at all.

Since there was only one leash, Luna went first since I've previously carried her outside for a couple minutes and she's got the most curiosity about the World Beyond the Window. The harnass and leash went on no problem. This I was actually surprised about since, of the two cats, she's the most likely to flip out over being restrained. Maybe she understood when I told her that the leash and harnass would allow her to go outside and explore without Meowme having to hold onto her tightly so she wouldn't bolt. Once outside, she just sat there on the porch sniffing and looking around, eyes huge. After 10 minutes, she finally conquered the porch steps (which are pretty big for a tiny little kitty). However, she didn't venture too far off the patio except to briefly taste some grasss. I think she was too overwhelmed to do much more. Next time I think she'll want to explore more.

Then came Howard. He calmly and peacefully resisted our efforts to put the harnass on by plopping on his side and then acting like a dead weight when I lifted him so Jim could secure the contraption. We finally got him hooked up and took him outside. Howard sat on the porch for a few seconds and then took off down the porch steps and across the yard, pulling me behind him (who knew a 12 pound cat could do that to a 110 pound Hooman?). That must have looked funny! Anyway, Howard ha MUCH more fun outside than Luna did. He pulled me all over and sniffed at everything in the small yard. But when it came time to go back inside, Jim opened the door and Howard RAN up the steps and back inside.

This weekend is supposed to be nice, so we'll be taking them each out a few more times...just to get them used to the harnass and leash and The World Outside the Window. I think in no time they'll get used to everything and then the REAL training (teaching them to walk on a leash) will begin....

***P.S. Photos of this adventure posted below!***