Harnessing housecats: Matty, Willy take the leap

There’s something really incredible about watching any living being experience something in nature for the first time, whether it’s a toddler staring in wonder at a world of white and picking up her first handful of snow or an indoor cat lying in grass for the first time, peering curiously all around her at this wide-open world, looking straight up at the sky and trees, and perking her ears to the sounds of birds (sitting in a window doesn’t compare to this actual being-outside stuff).

Once the cats had grown accustomed to, or at least tolerant of, periodically wearing their harnesses around the house (see last issue’s column), it was time to head outside, and at first, I took the cats out into the yard too quickly. The deadline for this column was approaching, but because of extenuating circumstances, the gradual efforts to introduce the cats to the outdoors had been sporadic and had involved mostly just getting them onto the deck, so I needed to get the cats outside. However, carrying them directly into the yard wasn’t entirely successful. As I carried them down the deck steps and to the sidewalk that runs down the middle of the backyard, they glanced around with guarded curiosity, and though I comforted them as I set them down, once their paws hit concrete and grass, they just wanted to run straight back into the house.

The next, more successful attempt involved a more gradual process and would have turned out even better had our efforts not been thwarted by grass wet and cold with morning dew. The quiet coolness of morning is better for fair-weather indoor cats than afternoon noise and heat or summer storms, but wet grass isn’t helpful when a cat is still anxious about being outside in the first place. This time, the cats’ morning meal as well as the cats’ humans were positioned outside, and the back door and deck gate were wide open. After a couple minutes, they crept outside on their own, bodies low and heads turning this way and that. And though Matty was braver than Willy about descending the steps and exploring the deck and yard, both did plenty of strolling and looking around, absorbing all that surrounded them. They could have gone back inside and stayed there at any time, but they didn’t—the couple times they wandered back in, they came right back out; though nervous, they clearly wanted to check out this new world. After a few more sessions like this, we may have two cats on our hands who are excited to have their harnesses put on.

But that does bring us to a caveat. Halfway through this process, the Furry Five’s other human started having second doubts. “I want them to be afraid to go outside,” she said. The fence surrounding our backyard is not at all secure for cats (the dogs can’t get out, but rabbits and cats can easily come and go as they please), and we sometimes leave the back door open while the dogs are on the deck or in the yard or both. So obviously, we don’t want cats jumping over the baby gates that keep them on the other side of the house and strolling out the backdoor whenever they see that it’s open for whatever reason. So this is something to consider. If your indoor cats do become comfortable and excited about going outside, you’ll need to be much more careful about open doors; the world outside is no place for loose, unsupervised indoor cats without experience fending for themselves.

Also, do read the instructions that come with your harness and leash! This is not one of those times when you can skip the instructions because they probably just say things you know already. The insert offers valuable advice on how to train your cat to accept the harness, how to be sure the harness is properly fitted (you don’t want your cat escaping from it while outside!), and how to handle the outdoor excursions.

Remember the moral of last issue’s column—don’t expect to put your cat in a harness and take him or her outside the same day? Also don’t expect the first time outside to be all sunshine and rainbows and frolicking. At least not if your cat has always been a strictly indoor cat. But give the cat time to come to the experience on his or her own terms, and your patience and effort will be worthwhile—your cat will get to experience the wonders of the sensory world outside, and you’ll get to watch and take pictures.

Stephanie Ernst can be reached at mail@stephanie-ernst.com. You can read the Furry Five’s bios and see their photos by visiting www.TheFurryFive.com.

The Come with Me Kitty Harness & Bungee Leash is available at Pets in the City.