My cats are fascinated with the outside world. They like to watch the birds and bunnies out the windows and get super excited when our resident chipmunk pops out from under the front steps for lunch. Flies landing on the window screens are pretty much the best things ever. And don't get me started when they find a spider in the house - I don't know if it is a more horrifying experience for me or for the poor spider.
When I think about my cats venturing out on their own, my mind immediately goes to every worst case scenario you can think of. The outside world is just too dangerous for my kitties. Look what they do when a bird flies by the house! What are they supposed to do when they don't have their favorite safe spots to run to!?!
The lifespan of an outdoor cat is substantially shorter than that of their indoor companion and I don't ever want to be left wondering why my cat never came back home. Disclaimer: I fully understand that some cats must be kept outdoors and that is okay - that is just not the case with my household (they lack some primal kitty instincts as you can see from the video above).
Something we don't often consider is the impact of the outdoor cat on its surrounding environment. Several years ago, the National Audubon Society released an article summarizing several studies looking at the direct impact of domestic cats on wildlife populations (https://www.audubon.org/news/cats-pose-even-bigger-threat-birds-previously-thought). The number of cat-related wildlife deaths is staggering. And a lot of these deaths are more for sport (thank you animal instinct) rather than consumption. I want to be able to see the birds, bunnies, and chipmunk frolicking in the grass (or under my steps) day after day. But don't worry, mimicking a cat's natural predatory behaviors inside can be easy and fun! Orange loves to play fetch with all of her brightly colored mice, even when they are attached to strings. They still take a pretty good beating; she is so vicious!
So what is my solution to this indoor-outdoor dilemma? Find some ways to bring the cats outside with me to enjoy the great outdoors under direct supervision.
My first experiment was acclimating the cats to wearing a harness to gauge how they would take to leash walking. To sum it up, that didn't get too far. I tried two different harnesses before aborting mission. Fiona was my first (and sort of willing) test subject, followed by Owen. Needless to say, neither of them made it out of the house for a cat stroll. Oliver and Orange didn't even make it into one of the harnesses (I don't think they would have been fans of leash walking anyways, so it was okay).
The first harness I tried was the PetSafe "come with me kitty" harness (https://store.petsafe.net/come-with-me-kitty-harness-and-bungee-leash). I chose it because if the cat pulls, it cinches near the shoulder blades and creates a more secure restraint. I was a little concerned since the straps were thin and Fifi is a Houdini cat. Well the cinching idea was great in concept, but the straps actually loosened while Fifi was playing around during the test run (more like test flop) and she could have easily gotten out of it if she wanted. I tried putting the harness on while she went for a stroller ride (more on this to come!) and it started slipping again. Not good when you own a Houdini cat. I could sense Fifi plotting her escape.
Next I tried the SimplyCat harness (no link, sorry!), which has a mesh underside and seemed to have a more secure fit.
I tried it on Fifi first and besides walking like she no longer remembered how to bend her elbows, it seemed to do the trick.
When I tried it on Owen, he just flopped over on his side and decided he could no longer use any of his limbs. I left it on him for about 5 minutes, then couldn't take it anymore; he was just too sad (and adorable) to look at. So the harness came off.
As I'm sure you're aware, most cats are not a fan of dressing up. In fact, they aren't really much of a fan of anything touching them that they didn't previously approve of. So I tried the harness on Owen a few more times, but he continued to show a relative disinterest (and partial paralysis). So we decided the harness was not for him. Owen is, surprisingly, very tolerant of his cowboy "kitty-up" costume. SO CUTE!!!
And then back to Fiona. She is wearing her SimplyCat harness around the house to acclimate to it (remember, practice makes perfect in the cat world - slow introduction to new experiences is best). She gives me her typical RBF look every time I put it on and either goes in the corner and pouts or pulls an Owen and plops down. Needless to say, she is not a fan. So I put the harness fiasco on hold for a bit.
Time for Plan B ...
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