Conference misery::feline

      
      You're in luck....since I think Siamese are about the easiest of any
    breed to train to walk on a leash. 
    
      There are two things that may help...either a collar/leash setup, or
    a harness/leash rig. I trained my Siamese male to walk with a collar
    and leash without any real problem. He took to it like he was born with
    a collar on... However, I've tried to get domestic shorthairs to walk
    on a leash on more than one occasion and all they wanted to do was
    "lawn-surf"....(They layed down on their sides and absolutely refused
    to move....so the only way you could get them to move was to drag them
    across the lawn---hence the term "lawn surfing"..)
    
      One word of caution: DO be careful if you walk that Siamese anywhere
    near trees!!!! My male used to LOVE to climb every tree he came to, so
    I had to make sure the leash was short enough, or the hold I had on it
    was short enough--so he couldn't get high enough into the tree so I
    couldn't get him down...
    
    
     John McD

    
    Hi,
    
    I, too, walk my cats on a leash.  I do have a collar and leash, but
    want to switch to the harness.  The reason is because I have found
    that my cats are wriggly worms and can actually get right out of 
    their collars and take off.  A harness, I believe, is much better.
    I hope to get one soon.
    
    As for actually "walking" the cat, I have found that my cat walks
    me.  If I try to lead her in any given direction, she will want
    to go in the opposite direction or just sit down (like John's 
    experience with the non-siamese).  So I just let them go where
    they will, and have found I have much better success.  My Bear
    likes to patrol the side of the house where the lilly garden is.
    She likes to eat the lillies.  Zuzu, on the other hand, likes to
    go across the street to the church parking lot and chase crickets.
    Sophie likes to run under bushes and climb trees.  
    
    It's been really fun, except that I have created "monsters" of them
    all.  All my cats are basically "indoor" cats, except for leash
    walking, and now I have to put up with a chorus of anxious meows
    the minute I walk through the door at nite, or whenever I walk out
    the door.  Everyone wants a walk....  
    
    The question is, what will happen when the snow starts to fly!
    BRRRRRRRR....
    
    Nancy

    Both of my kitties are harness trained.  It was pretty easy.
    
    They constantly sat on the windowsill catching rays and fresh air and
    one day I decided that it might be nice for them to experience grass
    and trees.  So, I bought two cat harnesses and two long leash type
    things.  I put them in the harnesses, which they hated!  It was quite a
    chore, but in the end I was victorious.  I just let them lounge around
    in the house with them on for a half hour or so, then I'd take it off.
    I did this for a couple of days.  
    
    Then I put the harness and leashes on and brought them out into the
    yard with me.  At first they were very skittish, but I was there to
    reassure them.  I only kept them out for about 5 mintues at a time. 
    Soon they associated the harness with going outside and it became a
    snap to get the harness on.
    
    Before I knew it they were crying to go outside.  Waiting by the door
    and actually asking to go out.  Every morning they go out for a half
    hour, it's part of the morning ritual.  They get pretty upset if they
    don't get there out time.
    
    One word of caution, make sure there are no dogs in the area.  I lived
    in my house for about 6 months before I let my kitties out.  I was
    constantly watching to see if there were unleashed dogs wandering
    around.  When I was confident that there were none, that is when I let
    them out.  But even now, they are outside in an area that is totally
    visible to me.  I'm constantly going out to check on them and make sure
    they are all right (adds about 10-15 minutes extra time to my morning
    prep, but worth every minute when I see there kitty smiles).  It's been
    two years and they still go out in the mornings and I've yet to see an 
    unleashed dog, or any other suspicious creature for that matter.
    
    - Lauri, Ebony and Boo Boo

    There is a note on here (buried in replies) about harnesses and
    leashes - perhaps in one of the notes on outdoor cats?  We've been
    partially successful at this!  We bought small harnesses for both cats.
    Seeing that one weighs 8 and the other weighs 16, we got the harnesses
    in different colors so we'd know which one fit which cat.  :^)

    First off, get the cat acclimated to the thought of something suddenly
    being around his/her neck.  Once you get to this point, your cat will
    likely do a "pancake" which means he'll lie flat on the floor with all
    legs spread out.  (looks like he was dropped from the 12th floor and
    splat)  Or the cat will pull any stunt imaginable to attempt to rid the
    collar/harness.  This can either be humorous or frustrating, depending
    on your point of view!  You may need to repeat the collar test several
    times to get your cat used to the idea.

    Rather than using a leash and walking with the cats, we ended up using
    a long (20') leash tied up to a branch of an apple tree.  Makes a nice
    place to start because of 1) it's cooler in the shade and 2) less
    stressful being secluded under a tree.  (we have huge crows that often
    invade our yard - the cats only enjoy watching them from inside not
    outside :^)  

    We found that neither of our cats were comfortable walking with a
    leash.  To this day, I still can't get Zelda to walk alongside of me
    however, she will happily go outside and sit for hours on end but I
    first have to hand carry her to her favorite spot.  (can you say
    spoiled?)  Chubs on the other hand is just not interested in any
    outdoor activity, probably because it involves his being away from the
    food bowls!  In any event, I never leave the cats alone while they are
    outside because there are too many dangers where we live, but an
    occasional romp in the grass is well appreciated by Zelda (and
    sometimes Chubs).  I say go for it!

    Note 266 - check the replies in the middle.  lot's of advice on leash
    training.

    I started Kelsey out walking him on a leash, but after he became used
    to it he wanted to venture farther out than I wanted him to go.  So, I
    decided to tie a long piece of rope around the deck post, secured the
    end of the rope to the loop on the end of his leash, and this was his
    makeshift run.  He got used to it very quickly and loved spending time
    outdoors.
    
    I always preferred a collar and leash to a harness.  Heed Cheryl's
    advice and make sure there are no loose dogs in the area.  I always sat
    outside with Kelsey or made sure I kept a close watch out the window if
    I was in the house making dinner or talking on the phone.  He was very
    good and very mellow about his outdoor adventures.
    
    Now that we live on the 3rd floor of an apartment building he doesn't
    have the privilege of outdoors anymore.  He is one upset cat!  I have
    tried taking him outside but it means venturing down three flights of
    stairs first and he absolutely flips out.  A few times I had him on his
    leash and just as we were starting down the stairs, someone would walk
    up or he'd hear a noise and he would run back to our apartment door
    (see, he learns fast where home is!!), scream at the top of his lungs,
    and scratch to go in.  Then, he would run and hide under the bed for
    awhile.
    
    I have thought of taking him down in his carrier, tying him out and
    sitting with him.  Then, if he got spooked, he could run into his
    carrier for comfort and I'd close the door and take him back inside. 
    Haven't done this yet though.  It is the only way I can think of to get
    him down those stairs but I'm afraid if he freaks while being tied out
    he won't be able to run back into his own yard like he could at the
    townhouse.  The thought of losing him is terrifying.
    
    Anyway, it isn't hard to leash train a cat; it just takes time,
    patience, and once the cat learns, stick-to-it-ivness.... cause he will
    want it all the time!!
    
    -Roberta
     

    I LOVE IT! "lawn surfing" that is soooooooooooooooooooo funny. I took
    my 2-year old out when she was about a year old, she squirmed in the
    harness (the kind that goes around her throat and under her belly) and
    bought 4 leashes that I tied together so that when she takes ME for a
    walk I don't lose an arm.
    
    A couple of things to consider: time of year/time of day you take out
    your cat. My vet advised me to avoid this time of year because of the
    high infestation of fleas and ticks that live in the grassy areas (not
    to mention mosquitos). Rather, in early spring, mid-fall after the
    first killing frost. I also brush her immediately after we return to
    the house incase she did pick up anything (she is a short-haired
    American tabby).
    
    Also, the time of day: on really bright sunny days I opt for
    mid-afternoon, there are lots of butterflies and birds for her to
    watch. I try to avoid bringing her too close to the street since cars
    can be pretty loud and scary to a small cat that is only used to the
    noises of a house. They can high-tail it out your reach incredibly fast
    if they are scared.
    
    Also, my cat LOVES to munch on the grass...BIG MISTAKE, first time I
    let her graze at will I was unpleasantly surprised within a half-hour
    with green vomit ALL OVER THE HOUSE. If she nibbles one or two strands,
    fine, but I don't let her munch away as if it were a snack.
    
    The first few times I took her out she was not too happy. I eventually
    built up our time outside gradually to get her used to the smells,
    sights, and sounds. Now all I have to do is take down her leash/harness
    and like a dog she is waiting by the back door to go out. Bringing her
    in is another story....(I have to pick her up and try to avoid the
    flying claws). Good luck!

    When we adopted Kooki last winter from the shelter, it became quickly
    obvious that he had been leash trained at some point.  He has no claws
    front or back, so apparently whomever decided to declaw him was at
    least wise enough to leash him outside.  He would see string or rope
    and grab it in his mouth and stand by the door, so we figured that must
    be what he wanted.  We went and got him a harness and he was so happy
    when we put it on and let him out onto the patio.  He was purring up
    a storm!  Course now, every morning at breakfast he wants to be leashed
    for a walk on the grass by the patio!
    But, he's always so happy about it, who can argue?
    
     Denise

    My cats are not leash trainable.  They have a severe balance problem
    while on a leash.  They're no fun, they fall right over.  It's amazing,
    ya finish buckling the leash on and boom the cat falls on its side. ;-)
    
    I did try taking Onyx out on a leash when he was going through his run 
    outside and explore phase everytime I would open the patio door.  Seems
    the more I took him out the more he wanted to go out.  I ended up
    giving the leash idea up with him.  He hasn't run outside since and I'm
    a bit less afraid of losing him.  I think it was the time he got
    outside and it took me over 30 minutes to get him back in only to find
    I'd taken in one of the neighborhood look-alikes and he was still loose
    that cured me from the leash training idea.

       One of my non-Siamese domestic shorthairs had what I referred to as
    "induced balance disorder", which was the initial stages of
    "lawn-surfing"". The minute the leash went on she developed a case of
    "I've fallen and I can't get up!!".....but the thing that gave her
    little scam away was that whipping action of her tail and those huge,
    round pupils....she was simply P.O.'d to have that darned LEASH on her,
    and she was not ABOUT to do anything except lie there swishing her tail
    and looking miffed!!
    
       Siamese on the other hand, I believe are part dog anyway....they
    retrieve, walk on leashes, act as "watch cats", and some other things
    that are more canine-like than some of the other breeds...
    
      John Mc

    How does one fit a cat for one of the harnesses?
    
    Karen

    I bought "toy dog" sized harnesses for my med sized cats.
    

    Karen, if you have a soft tape measure (the kind a seamstress would
    have) use that.  If not, get a string and tie it loosely around your
    cats neck, then criss cross it over his/her back and then under the
    front two legs.  The length of the string and the cats weight should
    help determine exactly what size to buy.  When we got our cats
    harnesses, all we did was buy a few, try them on for size and return
    the one that didn't fit.  I think Chubs (oink, oink) took an extra
    large!

    the pet store where we got Kooki's had a large selection of sizes.
    they should be "cat" harnesses, as the dog ones are a different style
    that a cat can Houdini right out of.  For Kooki who is 18 lbs. and
    part-Coon large, we got the largest one, which was just right. The girl
    said if we got home and didn't fit, we could exchange it, but there was
    no problem.  I think it was 6.95, not expensive, it's a nylon material
    that wears well.  Did not come with a leash, we added that (a very
    long, heavy duty boot lace!).
    
    Denise

    My cat Blaise hated those figure-8 type harnesses but didn't mind the
    dog kind.  But then again he was small-dog-size. ;^)
    
    He would walk a little bit on the leash, but I mostly used it to keep
    him from getting away when I took him to the vet (since I didn't have a
    carrier).
    
    --Michelle

    
    	re .10  John Mc - HAHAHAHAHAHA!! :)
    
    	"induced balance disorder", "lawn surfing" - that describes
    	Squeeky to a T - she'd also roll away from you, and end up 
    	wrapping the leash around herself...
    

    We put Murph on a harness for the first time this summer.  She wasn't
    fond of it at first, but loved being outdoors.  We'd tie a long thin
    rope to the harness and tie her to the table, and then sit back and
    laugh at her as she did backflips in mid air chasing after bugs, bees
    and the like.  
    
    Ofcourse, once you introduce them to the great outdoors they need their
    fix.  We could never walk her on a leash, as she'd yard surf (I love
    that term).  But if we let her go on her own with the rope attached,
    she was fine.  After awhile we eventually ditched the harness and
    decided to yard train her.  I still can't believe that it worked.  We
    just started going outside with her without the harness and giving her
    the "NO" command when she started to venture out of her boundaries. If
    she bolted anyway, we caught her and gave her a squirt and tossed her
    back inside.  We ofcourse stayed outside which ticked her off.  Luckily our
    back yard is bordered on two sides by tall grass (a "no" area), and on
    the other side by a fellow condo owner who loves cats.  There are no
    unleashed dogs for miles and only 1 or 2 unleashed cats who wander in for a
    visit on occasion.   Well, after a few weeks, she was trained.  She
    stayed in the backyard and we felt comfortable going inside.  In fact
    now she rarely goes within a few feet of the patio.  She likes to lie
    on the cement in the sun or under the table in the shade.  She rolls
    and rolls on her back for the first five minutes she's out.  Occasionally
    she wanders into the yard to catch a bug or eat some grass.  She's in
    ecstacy and knows that her yard priveleges go away if she's bad out
    there.  So she follows the rules.
    
    We still have the harness and leash but hopefully won't have to use it
    again in the yard.  
    
    Kristen

    Why is it that when I take my 2-year old out the very first thing she
    does is roll around on the dirty cement patio as mentioned in .10? She
    doesn't do this on the grass.

    Cats are attracted to dirt like a magnet!  Kelsey would find the
    dirtiest spot and immediately flop to the ground and roll around and
    around until he was covered in it.  YUCK!  He also loved to surf all
    over the cement steps... must feel good on the skin!  :^)
    
    As for grass, well, he'd rather eat it than roll in it!
    
    -Roberta
    

    For horses and other (wild) animals, dirt and mud help keep the flies
    away or at least to keep the sting away.  Don't know if this would 
    work for cats to keep fleas away, but my Blaise (white lonhair, 
    wouldn't ya' know!) loved to roll in the dirt in his backyard.

    My Pearl is an indoor cat, but occasionally she'll bolt out of the
    patio door. She instantly starts to roll all over the cement patio.
    she *LOVES* that cement.  I think it feels cool and scratches them when
    they roll.  Strange girl.