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As I walked through the pet store with my son, saying “No” to every rodent and reptile he promised to care for, I came across a rack of cat harnesses and leashes.
The thought of putting a cat on a leash seemed absurd, but sure enough, the package pictured a cat walking in a harness with a witless provider tethered to the other end.
I realize that the cat pictured above doesn’t exactly look happy, but trust me, this cat is ecstatic compared to the visions I had of our cats if I strapped this baby on. I pictured frenzied balls of fur squirming and clawing to try and escape the restraint.
I had to buy this thing.
outdoors safely, a cat harness and leash may be right for you!”
Interesting. Here we’ve just been opening the door and shooing them outside when they got annoying. I never thought about letting them explore the outdoors safely. For years we’ve been carelessly and heartlessly releasing them into the wilderness to fight bears and struggle for survival.
Our cats are pretty lazy so I was really curious to know if they could be walked on a leash. It was worth the seven bucks to find out, because if so, this would open up a whole new world of emasculating opportunities. I mean, how tough would I look taking a cat for a walk?
And what’s the protocol if they do their business on the side of the road? Whereby dogs search for fire hydrants, am I going to be pulling these cats away from sandboxes? What if they bite a passing stranger or sniff another cat’s derriere? Can you make cats heel?
These were questions that needed to be answered but I concluded that the first step was to make sure our cats would even take to the harness.
Here’s the result…
{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }
LMAO That is exactly what happened to our cat Stinky when we stupidly tried the same thing…except we did this in a public park on a dusty walk way. He wouldn't budge from laying on his back like a dog.
.-= Cat @ 3 Kids and Us´s last blog ..Local Flavor – Favorites and Freaky Fair Food =-.
At least they weren't flying fur bags that ended up in the pool.
I had that same leash. I used it on my ferrets to let them walk in the backyard. Then I realized they loved the backyard so much, they wouldn't run away. I would just sit back there with them and let them dig holes until it was time to go back in.
Yah. Now you know a random thing about me. LMAO.
BTW, ferrets are musky animals and smell. I do not suggest one as a pet.
That's hilarious! My mother had a harness for her cats for when she took them to the vet so they didn't take off when she got them out the door.
.-= Amanda´s last blog ..Wordless Wednesday – Summer Fun =-.
LMAO! I truly hate cats. It was super funny how they both just flopped on their side and laid there in defense. I do that to the J man all the time. I just stop and drop. Sometimes it works and he will leave me alone after dragging me by my arm for a few feet.
.-= Not So Average Mama´s last blog ..Finding Great Deals On The Internet =-.
I don't even want to imagine what my cat would do. She is the strangest cat. I recently bought her cat nip and she had no reaction to it at all.
.-= AJ @ A Little Bit Nutty´s last blog ..Wordless Wednesday….I miss the Rain =-.
OMG Greg I cannot breathe. The image of your cat being dragged around by the leash will be forever burned into my memory. Hysterical.
.-= Marianna @ Green Mama's Pad´s last blog ..How to Wean Your Toddler From a Pacifier =-.
My cats do the alligator death roll when you do this, but if you go on a walk and just let them follow, they will!
Trisha
.-= trisha´s last blog ..Is my DH punking me? =-.
I tried walking and having them follow but you can see what they did. They just laid there and got dragged as though they were happy to not have to work for it.
That is so frickin' hilarious! I have 2 cats-one would do just like your cats are doing, she's so laidback, but the other freaks out at his own shadow and still won't stay in the room with my son (who's now 4). He would freak out completely!
Love this post!
.-= Allison´s last blog ..The Numbers Game =-.
I am laughing so hard at this, I even had the kids come in and watch with me. We got a good chuckle for sure!
.-= Tara´s last blog ..EcoGear EcoZoo Backpack =-.
omg, I busted a gut. You need to have warnings up " Pee Before Watching Videos" . I use to have a Iguana that we attempted to walk on a harness and he did the roll.
Mrs. Telling Dad is a hoot.
Have a great Day
Okay, really Heather….Breathe! Let the laugh out! You guys are a riot. Larry always did let Michael do what ever he wanted with him. Maybe with practice…
LMAO greg! You have some lazy cats there!
.-= Gena Morris´s last blog ..Wordless Wednesday….Cool Cat =-.
That is so freakin funny! Those cats didn't know what to do! lol That black cat, Larry was it? Sooo pretty!!!
.-= Stefanie´s last blog ..Wordless Wednesday =-.
Ok this is opposite of what I thought would happen. I thought you guys would be in the hospital with scratches requiring stitches and a couple less eyeballs.
Yes! This is why I bought the leash…fully intending to film the freakout. To be honest, their true reaction was even funnier. Heather couldn't breathe.
Your daughter is adorable.
Also, I cannot stop laughing.
.-= Elizabeth´s last blog ..Excluding BlogHer Ads from Review and Giveaway Posts =-.
We do not *walk* our cat on a harness, however we DO let the cat roam outside in a harness attached to a couple of connected leashes attached to a post. It works quite well, although it takes a few times before the cat gets over that *fall over dead* pose.
See this post for pics of my cat enjoying his harness and leash – AND – by the way – I use a small DOG harness that velcros and latches. Cat harnesses are worthless – cats get out of them within seconds.
http://popandice.blogspot.com/2009/07/grazing-in-…
.-= Pop and Ice´s last blog ..Our Weekend Outpost =-.
That's too funny!
I think the first one was nervous you were going to out him in the water!
.-= valmg´s last blog ..SD Card Deal For The Photo Enthusiasts =-.
LOL. My mom has six cats (lives on a farm) and oh I could only imagine.
.-= Jenna´s last blog ..Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime Seasoning =-.
Maybe they've improved the leashes over the years, but my cat (way back when) always slithered out of the thing….
.-= Leah Rubin´s last blog ..Sex & Daniel Schorr =-.
I think the harness actually breaks your cats! That was some classic awesomeness right there pal! What I want to know is why you've been dragging your son around that he knows he can't breathe? Perfect family togetherness time.
LMAO this was too funny!!!
.-= Firefly´s last blog ..Blog Favorites =-.
Because if you have to have a cat, you might as well do experiments with it. I know that's what I did with all the cats I knew growing up. Did you know that if you spin a cat for a really long time in a rotating bar stool and then it jumps down it is NOT guaranteed to land on its legs?
.-= Mr. Blonde´s last blog ..machine wash; tumble dry? =-.
They went cat-atonic
That's gold Jerry, GOLD!
Just in case anyone was wondering, guinea pigs do the same thing as cats. Not that I’d ever put a harness and leash on a guinea pig and attempt to take it for a walk… at least not in daylight. I let my daughter do it while I stood inside the door laughing hysterically.