Cat Harness/Leash?

[CaroPhoenix]

This is for all those cat owners out here on the board. :)

I'm taking my long haired cat to the groomers on the 25th of this month. I love my cat (both of them to be exact). However, there is a slight problem: Neither of them like to get in their carriers!

I was wondering about getting a Harness/Leash system for my kitties. However, I've never done something like that on either of my cats. (They're both about 5 years old).

Or should I purchase some Feeliway spray and use that in the carrier to see if he'll quietly go into his carrier?

I really don't want to fight with him for almost an hour to get him to go to the groomers (like I did back in August to get him to the vet!)

[myswtghst]

I use a the leash/harness system with my kitties, but I use it more for walking/outdoor adventures. They're not fond of their crate, but if they're not in it in the car, they want to be down by my feet and all over the place, which is rather distracting while I drive. I tend to put them in the crate, then bring a towel to wrap them in when we get to the vet so they can sit in my lap in the waiting room.

My only advice would be to not feed him for a few hours before putting him in the carrier, so that he doesn't have anything to *ahem* rid himself of if he gets scared.

ETA: I also have found that using towels can be a godsend. Just play with him in your lap, wrap him in the towel like a kitty-burrito, and stuff the whole thing in the crate. He can untangle himself in the carrier, and will have a towel in with him to soak up accidents. :)

[Der Cute]

Good call on the Kitty Burrito.

I always poured my cat hind end first into a VERTICAL cat carrier...one stuck up on its end with door open.

She got hiney in first, dropped the rest of her in and shut the door. But I always put a dirty shirt of mine in there for her to snuggle with.

cutenoob

[jayel]

Don't remember if it actually happened to me or just came close, but I think one of my cats slipped out of (or almost slipped out of) one of those harnesses. Cats are very wriggly, skillfull escape artists when they want to be, and I would not trust a harness to keep one from running away or bolting out a door. Just my thoughts. I also support the hind-end-first-into-a-vertical-crate method. I may try the 'burrito' method as well in the future.

[protege]

I always poured my cat hind end first into a VERTICAL cat carrier...one stuck up on its end with door open.

That's the only way I can get my cat into the carrier. He refuses to go in there, since he knows he's going to the vet. But, once at the vet's, the kitty won't come back out! I tried putting a collar/leash on him, but that didn't go over well. Not only did he *not* like it, but he'd simply undo the collar.

[April]

I had a kitty harness and my cat HATED it. She refused to walk on it and if you tried to walk her she would roll over on her back and make you drag her that way.

I've tried the kitty burrito and that worked pretty well.

Also I've taken the crate out a little bit before it was time to go, when the cat would go to investigate it, I would just wait until she went in and close the door behind her. I don't use the crate often so it's something new everytime I take it out.

[BookstoreEscapee]

I always poured my cat hind end first into a VERTICAL cat carrier...one stuck up on its end with door open.
cutenoob

I was going to suggest this, too. If they go in backwards they can't grab onto the opening to fight you. You could try putting a treat inside, too, to lure him.

OT, but my cat has recently been trying to get out the front door (they are indoor cats, and declawed) so my mom took the old dog collar and put it on him and took him out for a walk. I wish I'd seen it.... Though he could probably get out of it if he really wanted to.

[iradney]

Kitty burrito immediately made me think of the cuteness that is this picture!





(Courtesy of www.stuffonmycat.com)

[BusBus]

I'll have to remember the kitty burrito idea for next time (my big kitty does not like the carrier at all...the little one is more co-operative).

With the big one, I find it also works if I hold him with his front legs pinned to his body when I get him into his carrier.

The whole "having an accident in the carrier" thing reminds me of taking my big one to the vet due to some bladder issues. It was busy that night, so we were waiting for at least an hour before they took him in. The vet, in her infinite wisdom, decided to try to extract my cat from his carrier in the presence of a barking dog. Naturally, he had an accident on the spot. Poor kitty :( To make things worse, the vet needed a proper urine sample, so we had to come back the next day and try again.

[CaroPhoenix]

I might have to play with my big kitty and put him in the kitty burrito before I actually do it on the day of his groomer's appointment. He's a big cat (between 15 - 20 pounds). He may or may not be a Maine Coon. He looks like one, but at the shelter where I got him, he's listed as a Domestic long hair brown/tan/white tabby.

[XCashier]

I always poured my cat hind end first into a VERTICAL cat carrier...one stuck up on its end with door open.

She got hiney in first, dropped the rest of her in and shut the door.
That's what I do with my cats. Let gravity do most of the work! ;)

The Kitty Burrito is a good idea too. If it works for trimming their claws, it ought to work for getting them into the carrier!

[LewisLegion]

Cat harnesses and leashes take weeks of careful acclimation to get kitty used to them. Its not something you can just slap on 'em for the first time and go. I third (fourth?) all the other ideas on getting kitty in the carrier. I guarantee you will have a much bigger fight on your hands with the harness.

[BusBus]

The Kitty Burrito is a good idea too. If it works for trimming their claws, it ought to work for getting them into the carrier!

I usually have to lie on top of my cats when I trim their claws (they aren't very co-operative).

[lordlundar]

My cat didn't mind the harness. Of course when he wanted to explore and we had him tethered, it never stopped him.

Until one night that was, when he didn't slip out all the way and hung himself. I couldn't stop crying for 3 days.:cry: