Cats on leads

[MidnightVelvetthe3rd]

I'm just pondering really about my indoor cat, whenever we open a window we can only open it a tiny crack in case she gets out & she has her nose right in the space & sniffs the air. Wondering if taking her out on a lead & a harness is worth thinking about or whether my quiet little street would think I'm mad. DP says I'm mad! I'd start off in the back garden for a bit I think.

My cat is very timid & if she sees another cat outside through the window she runs away. If she's on a lead then she can't run, would this cause her anxiety or fear?

What happens if we encounter another cat outside, we have 2 big bruisers 2 doors down, as I'm with her would they keep their distance? They're not very friendly cats at the best of times & don't come for a fuss if I'm outside.

Am I mad to consider it?

First of all, why is she an indoor-only cat?

RCat goes out on a lead, no problems. If a dog comes along I just pick my little old chap up and then he goes back to sniffing around. His "walks" are on his terms though - I'm the weird lady who stands by bushes a lot

TCN she's a rescue Ragdoll & it was a condition of the shelter that she remained an indoor cat :) she's showing a great interest in the outdoors though, we have to be very careful with windows & doors else she would be out & gone. She did it once when I was putting the bin out & luckily I managed to catch her.

You can get mesh insert thingies (

Ah - they're called "Pet Screens".

Oooh thanks Rainbow I need those. And a huge one for my French doors that have stayed closed all summer

What reactions do you get when you take her out??

I tried it once with one of my cats. We hadn't had her long and she was desperate to go outside but it was too soon to let her out on her own. DH said it was a mad thing to do, he was right. Cat was very unimpressed!
I do however have a friend who used to walk his cat. The cat couldn't go out on their own (for reasons I don't remember) but used to love going out on the lead.

Ummm... I'm not really aware of any reactions tbh. But I must stress that it's NOT like walking a dog, I mean really not.

He sits by the front door like a dog...
I pop the harness on and clip the lead on a bit like a dog...
And then he wanders about on the driveway, next doors' driveways, maybe a bit up the road. There's a lot of standing around while he sniffs stuff. He leads, I follow (which is why I stand by bushes a lot - RCat is often in them).

Look up Flat Cats for window screens, I love them.

My cat goes out to the back garden on a lead sometimes. She likes it but gets scared of noise and other cats. Sometimes it seems more stressful than enjoyable for both of us! And she doesn't like the harness much.