Cat harness

[EnthusiasticTurtle]

Can anyone recommend a good harness to take cats out in please?
they are 6 months old and very small i’ve tried one from Temu but they just slipped straight out of them.
I want to take them outside in harness for the first few times before I let them out by themselves
thank you
Cat tax included

Beautiful cats❤

Yes, I can. My cat had major leg surgery last year and I had to take him out on a harness for six weeks before he could be left to his own devices. He wore a Mywood jacket. I bought a light lead to clip to it.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mynwood-Jacket-Green-Combat-Adult/dp/B00UU334VE/ref=sr_1_7?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.m-r46oK0iwkTIMzamxUOIDJlvLX8iRGRoj82tyyM-LOTC-c3RVfXkiKGu33MoxAbRzG5sHbE1j_Tl-Myy7ovI0DNfE7ppZEly0rammU3AZ11wrt72dNNSBo26ML2I2_bC5WKbbtpLz7pj-tFQ-xfZMnWLR4uMt_Xf9OfXoVkXqQ9BydNuCFt49djXYJgzdCJv6w5GR5sDP_Hk8Em0AzoNdSkcIk6vGPhj2ic2QwMLsEEReW_riAUQw3JJ0qVJBwCompRRCeirI534_9BKoCvvpyyZJDT8XxbKAcb_kVL0.BKJeYTSeFDN7M4dRRUsE1aHF2uEFihEWZcHgkaJpDi8&dib_tag=se&qid=1768038570&refinements=p_89%3AMynwood+Cat+Jacket&sr=8-7&srs=19221715031

But I wonder why are you taking them out on harnesses? I would never do that normally, when they first go out I accompany them into the garden and once they decide to jump the fence, leave them to it. Only ever use a harness in your own garden, because if they meet a dog or something else that frightens them you are absolutely stuck, they will be terrified, try to escape, and could be injured.

Thank you for your recommendation.
hope your cat made a good recovery!
i think i’m just scared to let them out on their own to be honest. We have lots of fields behind us and I just can’t fathom them being able to know how to get home. I guess in my mind if i have shown them a few times how to get home I would worry less.
Probably sounds ridiculous I know

He seems to be making a good recovery, thank you for asking.

Are you sure it is safe to take them on a harness over the fields? If people walk dogs there, definitely don't. Also, you have two of them on harnesses, they will want to go in different directions so it could be chaos!

Cats tend to take a very different route from humans, as I found in the last two months. He would suddenly shoot off with me on the other end of the lead, getting dragged up muddy slopes and through brambles! So you taking them for a walk could be meaningless in navigation terms!

I know what you mean, it is hard to let them go. But cats are very good at navigating. They tend to go out in larger and larger circles, so they go a bit further each time. Wonky leg cat has a tracker on his collar so I can find him in case of further incidents (one of these, if you want to consider it)

https://tabcat.com/products/cat-tracker-tabcat-v2

I tried the late Cheddar on a harness. As she was extremely compliant. It was fine until I put the shorter lead on it. she decided she was going under the car and she almost injured herself getting out of the harness when there was no more give on the lead. Never again!

I tried this with one of mine as I was worried about them.

it did not work. They do not understand the harness and will move as if it doesn’t exist and either try to drag you over or get out of it.

i got a chair and sat out the front of my house with them the first few times.

The first few times you let them out you do it first thing in the morning, before breakfast. You stay by the door and call them back after 5-10mins in the same way as you call them for food, and feed them immediately. (MrCat associated the noise of the cupboard door with being fed, so I used to call him in while rattling the cupboard door.) They will soon learn to associate coming home with being fed. They are also very quick to work out how to get back when they hear your voice.

I agree harnesses are not a good idea on cats. My cat only tolerated it because he'd had a serious injury, and he wanted to go out again but was very nervous and wanted me with him. It was just part of his rehab and did not last long!

Cats want to go through hedges, up trees, over walls, into undergrowth. They don't want to walk nicely along a path with a human. And that's before you even get to the issue of meeting something scary which will mean they want to escape.

With new cats I go out with them a few times, and try to check on them regularly. I only let them out when I'm at home and make sure they can get back in easily by propping the cat flap open. I don't let them out at night.

I used a harness with my elderly kitty when we moved to a house on a busy road. He took to it immediately and would meow to go out and be walked around the garden and front area. Otherwise I couldn't have let him go out at all, as his eyesight and hearing weren't great (several cats have been killed on this road since we moved in). So I think it depends on the cat. Sometimes it's a good idea and works out really well.

It's not like walking a dog, though. Very much a case of the cat leading and you following!

thank you all for your helpful advice. One of them is very adventurous and into everything and the other is very quiet and calm so I already know which one will have me traipsing the fields shaking a bag of dreamies! I won’t be letting them out at night either, we have foxes and badgers here so wouldn’t be safe

I’d train them to come within the house (name, reward) before letting them out, then as pp says, do it around mealtimes. With our boy I would go out with him initially and sometimes actually picked him up and took him back in, with our previous girl cat it was easier as it was July and great weather so we just had the back door open. Both of ours have come in to their names, but I know people who use eg a whistle.

Cats are smart, I wouldn’t bother with a harness, just go steady with it.

That’s really common with small kittens — they can slip out of thin strap harnesses very easily. You’ll want a vest-style Cat Harness and Lead Set that fits snugly around the chest and is adjustable so they can’t back out.
You could try the Pambros Cat Harness and Lead Set — it’s lightweight, padded, and designed to be escape-proof, which works well for young cats just starting outdoor walks.
Tip: let them wear it indoors first so they get used to it before going outside 🙂