Harnesses

[4pink1blue]

Does anyone have any magic tips for getting cats harness trained please? I have a pair of 4 month old savannahs and I tried their harnesses on for the first time yesterday and they literally went mad! They decided they could only walk backwards and they really didn't enjoy it. DH has built them a lovely catio but I was hoping to be able to take them out for walks too.

I did add pictures but they didn't post...try again.

Persevere. Lots of treats, harness on for longer and longer amounts of time - a couple of minutes at first. Practice every day. They are still babies and so introducing this to them now will be soooo much easier than when they're older - but they aren't going to like it at first! Make sure it's a happy experience so give them their favourite treat, Churu puree treats are great.

I'm no expert but those harnesses look very tight across their backs - or is it just the way they're sitting in the photos?

Ultimately the only way to do is to keep practising in the house, treats for having the harness nearby but not on then and building up from there.

But I suspect many cats don't actually like being harnessed - it's not exactly a natural way of walking for them and often seems to inhibit movement and their natural instincts to jump and climb and crouch.

There’s a bit of a fine balance between being tight enough so they can’t wriggle out and being too tight and restricting leg movements. We went through 3 harnesses before one that our boy liked . To start with he would fall on his side as soon as we put one on him and refuse to move at all . We actually ended up with a small dog harness that we liked which didn’t restrict his front legs. There’s also a handmade cat harness small company who’s name I can’t remember but was highly recommended. Will try to find it .

May have been this one , but it was recommended a couple of years ago so someone else might remember www.mynwoodcatjackets.com/catwalk

Thank you. I think it's the way they're sat, they don't feel tight IRL. I've heard a few people use that website but they're growing so fast I don't want to spend a fortune while we're getting used to them but will definitely invest when their growth slows down.

Just had a good look at the website and they do a specialist savannah jacket. Perfect!!!

My 5 cats live in their harness, but we started them at around 3 months old. Literally we just put them in their harness and refused to remove them - like you would a collar. Supervised 24/7 and inside They now look at you oddly if you remove them for any reason. We also have a catio! (Best money spent ever!)
we use the thin two strap style as in picture. But ours are standard rescue moggies - I’ve no experience with savannahs.