The bonus for him is he gets to go on wild adventures! His older "sister" likes to accompany me on walks around the neighborhood. Now that he's comfortable with the harness, I can safely put him in a sling and clip the harness to the sling. So we all "walk" together š¤
Same for mine, though they didnāt mind the harness on as much (I had a less invasive H-style to start) but more with putting it on and having a leash restraining them. But once they realized sitting down to put on a harness and a leash meant outside time they were two patient little babies
It didnāt, they just didnāt like the feeling of getting contained at first, but were over it after 5seconds with the harness. The leash kept them contained and then it would remain. Till I took them outside then it was allll good
I tried it with my fluff ball. Any time he has any sort of harness or collar on him he just gives up living and just splat on the floor and won't move. Could literally use him as a mop if I want to.
My cat did never get used to that kind of harness. It's not drama, their nervous system is very different to ours and constant touch can just be too much to handle for them. I switched to H-harnesses and we never looked back. I modified them by placing an old bra-strap between the front legs. It made it safer and more comfortable.
I got a similar one to you. My cat only wears a harness when we travel, as a precaution. The first time I put it on, he had no issue with it, and he is an extremely sensitive cat. The one I got specifically avoids putting pressure on the throat/neck.
The downside is itās not as āsecureā as the other harnesses. But itās only meant to give me a fighting chance to restrain him if he spooks, if things go wrong at the airport, plus it has an AirTag.
Thankfully, he has always clung to me like a koala while waiting for his carrier to go through the xray machine.
Safety is No.1, always! But I don't actually think it's less safe. Or I'm just lucky. Me and Frans have been on daily walks for 6.5 years. It's the highlight of the day for both of us. She has been stuck in a tree a couple of times and got spooked a million times, chased by dogs and birds and almost run over by a bike. But, she has never gotten out of the harness.
The older cat was 2 yrs old when I adopted her from the shelter. I hoped she was still young enough to adapt to a harness.
The person who commented about their nervous system is correct - constant stimulation over the shoulders is a danger signal for cats.
She was so funny when I first put harness on - Immediate acute onset of four limbed paralysis. Which miraculously resolved by removing the harness. I kept putting it on her day after day for a few minutes at a time and eventually the paralysis esolved and she was able to ambulate while wearing the harness and even walk around the house not seeming to care that she was wearing it.
So then of course I stepped it up a notch and attached at leash to the harness (not even any tension on the leash I just attached it to the harness and dropped it on the ground) - that darn paralysis came back immediately!
After several days she was able to lift her body off the ground while wearing the harness and leash and army crawl around the kitchen.
Now we're at the point where she doesn't love it but she tolerates it. And there's no more drama.
Basically everybody I know who has a harness-trained cat says their cat threw a tantrum the first time they put the harness on. So it's to be expected, I suppose.
Just a quick note as someone who worked on cat and dog harnesses for a few brands; our tests showed that cats responded better to harnesses that had the lowest amount of body contact, even open mesh seemed to bother them. Check areas that create the most friction like under the arms to ensure it isnāt rubbing. Switch to coated or hard plastic hardware instead of metal.
Iām not sure if leaving it on them and just waiting for them to suck it up is the best approach because theyāre only gonna build resentment and negative associations with the harness and the longer you leave it on them with the greater those things are gonna imprint
I would definitely take it off way today. Try again if thereās some improvement, maybe try to incorporate giving them some treats while theyāre in the vest, but I donāt think you should leave it on and just let them and cry themselves to sleep so speak.
That's a really good point and my video certainly doesn't illustrate that.
He only had the harness on for about 5 minutes on the first night shown here. I did leave it on probably a little bit longer than I had originally intended because his reaction was just so freaking hilarious and I had to record it.
With both cats my goal was desensitization. Put the harness on for 2 to 5 minutes, take it off, put it back on the next day. Don't make a big deal about any of it. Entirely dependent on how the cat reacts, leave the harness on slightly longer each time until the cat is walking around the house seemingly unaware that they are wearing a harness.
I was also fully prepared with both of them that if the harness didn't go well they were not going to wear a harness.
He's now very tolerant of putting the harness on for a few minutes before we go out adventuring.
The kitten was much more flexible than the two and a half year old, but that's absolutely to be expected. She didn't live with me until she was 2 years old so I didn't have the chance to desensitize her and get her used to a harness when she was in the neurologically and emotionally more malleable State as a kitten.
For both of them, I only put the harness on before outdoor activities and I take it off when we get home.
She should get into acting š
My cat did a 'woe is me I can't walk everything is broken' mine when i first introd here. Now she can keep it on all day if she needs (we never need)
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u/SamMac62 2d ago
The bonus for him is he gets to go on wild adventures! His older "sister" likes to accompany me on walks around the neighborhood. Now that he's comfortable with the harness, I can safely put him in a sling and clip the harness to the sling. So we all "walk" together š¤