Does anyone out there take their cat for a walk?

Hey there is nothing wrong with that and your friend is right, I used to do this my cats and they loved it.

I take it the cats are indoor cats. My cat was an indoor cat for years I tried walking her for excercise and she hated it. As you said it was more of a drag then anything else... cats are not dogs and you should explain that to your friend. Tell her to get balls of yarn and kitty toys... instead of "walking the cat" just play with the cat, the cat not only gets to excercise but she gets to "hunt." Cats do not need "fresh air" there are many indoor cats that live to be ripe old ages that only get out of the house when they go to the vet... the cat will be fine... the truth is there are a lot of risks when a cat goes on a walk... any lose dogs WILL attack them... if she gets away from the owner she is NOT A DOG... she probably won't come back to the owner when called. Just let your friend know there are other options. I hope this helped.

Some cats do enjoy being "walked." Most, however, do seem to dislike it and seem to be more dragged than walked. Cats value their independance, and tend to be annoyed when people try to force them to do anything, let alone something like forcing them into new territory in that manner.

A much better liked way for them to get their exercise is for them to simply be indoor/outdoor cats. Unless they are even lazier than the rest of their brethren, they will work out plenty running, jumping, chasing things, and just being cats.

I have 5 cats myself and I take one of them to outside walks. I adopted this cat when he was abandoned by his family and he was already used with a leash. He likes walking outside. I've also tried it with my other cats and they didn't enjoy it so I won't take them out anymore. We have a big apartment so I think that cats are totally confortable inside and they can have enough excercise too, especially because they are many and they are playing together. If you have only one cat then he/she may need some extra excercise but it's also possible to play with the cat inside.

I think that taking a cat outside without the animal enjoying it is not an animal friendly activity.

My cat sits at the door like a dog and meows to me to go out . I live in an apartment building so when I mean go out it is in the hallway . I have to do this every morning before I go to work ,and every evening when I return after I have spent time with him . This is a ritual which takes place daily. We walk up and down the hallway, all my neighbors know him , and he runs up and down the hall. Cats are creatures of habit , repetition is what they know .Once they hook on to something they will constantly want to do it . This is good exercise for him , so the answer to your question is yes some cats do like to go out for a walk.

I'm allergic to cats, but my wife and I feed some wild/feral ones that hang around. One adult female (named Guerdy) is super docile and walks with me whenever I walk away from the house. It doesn't matter how far I go, she'll stay with me and return with me.

Now I have a dog (whom the cat does''t approve of). When I walk the dog on a leash (or without), Guerdy accompanies us.

Guerdy is not a typical cat, though. Her behavior and likes are probably different than those of OP's cat.

If the cats are harness-trained, and are enjoying it then it is fine. My cats get plenty of exercise just bouncing off our walls and furniture, but hey if the cats like it then fine :) If not, I'd suggest finding a way to exercise the cats without taking them "for a drag", lol!

Best luck!

TDK

the ONLY safe way for a cat to be outside is on a leash. with the exception of those cat cages/pens what ever you call them. cats don't get excercize by walking on a leash like dogs for excercize she needs to find another way like playing with a string toy with them. taking them out on a leash is more of a way for the cat to be outside and get some fresh air and all. in the spring and fall, I bring my 2 cats out to the park a lot for them to wonder around and chase some birds, and squirrles (well as far as the leash will alow them to go.)

Yes my cats walk with me. I have 32 currently and one lame horse., and two goats we all walk together. The cats run up trees and under the horse and onto the saddle blanket. (horse is extremely calm) The goats trail behind. We go down the street and usually pick up a few others on our walk (dogs, and one crow) and an ostrich that walks the lenght of his fence with us. The neighbors finally got use to it and know wave and yet hello to all of us. Takes about 1 hour to get them all back and feed and accounted for. Not one has come up missing in 3 1/2 years. The cats started it all by following me to the shed and beyond.

I don't walk mine although I never tried either. I think if they grow up being leashed for a walk, they will know no other way. Just like taking cars for a drive in a car - they will freak if they are not use to it.

She is trying to let her cats enjoy the outdoors but I know for sure that the cats don't like the harness. Cat's like to be free. I guess she is too afraid to let her cast roam.