There are many reasons we might consider leash training for our cat.

Whatever the reason, we should first consider if our cat is the right kind of cat for what we have in mind.

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Do they have the confidence? Gamma cats, or shy or cautious cats, can be poor picks for our leash dreams. They want more familiarity with their surroundings than they get from constantly moving to new territory. They also have trouble with leash logistics, often being unable to understand what restrains them, and how they can work with it.

This doesn’t mean these cats can’t walk on a leash. Just be prepared for things to go slowly or not at all. If we just want the cat to have supervised trips to our backyard with us, they are excellent candidates to try this off leash, since they will be reluctant to plunge off into the wilderness, and will likely stick to “the where” they know.

Confidence has another facet; does our cat trust us to handle the outdoors for them? Outside of our yard, we will encounter dogs on leashes, (it is hoped.) Will the cat recognize the dogs are being restrained, too?

Some do. Others will launch themselves at the source of the barking or climb us like a tree. Dancing around with a panicked cat on our head will help us meet new people, but not the way we wanted.

Do they have the flexibility? It’s not physical, it’s mental. Some cats don’t mind being restrained; they want to be by our side anyway. They will trade off the constriction of the leash to be able to experience the outdoors.

Others will get into a frenzy when they can’t dash off after the prey they will see everywhere. They will climb up or eel under, leaving us with the end of the leash, but worried about how we will extricate our cat. Or they will spend every bit of the outing scheming to get out of the harness, instead of strolling with us.

Do they have the right environment? If we have a backyard to hang in, great. If not, we have to negotiate city streets, or maybe different forms of transport, to get to some greenery. Once there, we don’t know what we might encounter.

We shouldn’t push our boundaries too soon. If we don’t have the patience to take it step by step, we shouldn’t start something we can’t finish.

I’m all for letting our cats enjoy the outside world. But if we don’t think our cat has the right temperament for our leash dreams, we should consider other possibilities, such as a cat stroller or an outside enclosure.

Remember, this is supposed to be fun for both of us.

For tips on training, see Leash Training the Cat.

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