He wants outside so badly...

**KitCat** · 02-27-2008, 01:32 PM

Get a harness and leash. My cat likes exploring past our yard, and the leash keeps him safe. Put on the harness and praise him and give him treats to help him get used to it. My cat doesn't cover a lot of ground, like a dog would, but he enjoys sniffing around.

**Quinn's Mom** · 02-27-2008, 01:41 PM

Yeah, that was the first thing we tried. It worked for a little while, but then he just stopped walking with it; he'd only lay down in the common yard like he was a dog or something. Sometimes Ill keep the harness without the leash on him for a while, but he just freezes up when it's time to go outside...weird little guy.

**cassiesmom** · 02-27-2008, 02:40 PM

A Kittywalk? http://kittywalk.com/

**emily_the_spoiled** · 02-27-2008, 02:45 PM

If you have a patio or something like that can you maybe create an enclosure for him so he can be outside but not "free"?

**Quinn's Mom** · 02-27-2008, 02:52 PM

Originally Posted by emily_the_spoiled

If you have a patio or something like that can you maybe create an enclosure for him so he can be outside but not "free"?

I wish! That would have been my preferred option # 1. We're on the ground floor with no patio. If I could let him into a screened area, I know we'd both be ecstatic! He hangs out on our upstairs neighbor's deck a lot, but it's not secure and about ten feet off the ground. I caught him jumping down into the hedgerow once and thought I was going to have a heart attack right there on the spot. He was fine though, and happy as always, with no idea why I was freaking.

**emily_the_spoiled** · 02-27-2008, 03:11 PM

Maybe your neighbor would be very understanding and let you put something like that on their balcony????

**Freedom** · 02-27-2008, 04:33 PM

My first cat, Mr. Amber Cat, (RB), was an outdoor loner guy. Once I scooped him up and brought him in, that was it, he had to sty in. Well, like yours, he was very vocal that this was NOT his choice!

I got the leash and harness and got him used to that. We HAD to walk around the building twice every day, rain, snow, ice, cold, did not matter. he would NOT stop yowling until we went. I got one of those retractable leashes. He insisted I stay at the very end. This was HIS time to be a "tiger in the wild," and he didn't want his "mommy" standing too close. If my shoes crunched on the gravel, he would turn and give me a look

you know the kind. I learned to walk very quietly! We did this for 8 years! It was a struggle at first, battle of the wills, but he learned he wasn't to go out with out that harness on!