Advice needed RE Indoor cat
Advice needed RE Indoor cat
Hi, I am soon to be adopting a 18 week old kitten, whom I plan to keep as an indoor cat, as I live in a first floor flat and she is a ragdoll cat. I would consider buying a little set of reigns for her so that I could take her to sit out in the front garden with me in the sunshine. My question is 'If she gets a taste of the big outdoor world, will she ine to be atken out more and more?' Thanks for any advice in advance x
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Ruth B
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- Joined: Wed Jun 15, 2016 11:31 am
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- Location: Wolverhampton
Re: Advice needed RE Indoor cat
Congratulations on the new addition.
I think she will be fine if she is harness trained properly and you get into a routine of taking her out. The one thing you need to make sure of is that she doesn't get the idea that every time the door is opened she is going out. You will need to spend a lot of time getting her used to the harness and walking in it before you even think of taking her out and you will have to make sure the harness fits her well and doesn't trap any of her fur, a good grooming after she has had it one would probably not go a miss. We did have a Ragdoll and he loved going outside (he was allowed free roam like my other cats) and never had a problem, he also was never bothered about going far, content just to sit in the garden and watch life going on. However we did notice that while his fur was normally fine, he did occasionally get mats normally after he got wet if we weren't careful to groom him thoroughly when he had dried, he happily sat out in the rain even though he had a cat flap and could come in any time he wanted, his fur though, once groomed, was also even more gorgeous after it had been rained on.
I will point you in the direction of Jackson Galaxy on Youtube, you may have come across him on his 'My Cat from Hell' TV series, he has some wonderful videos on how to train a cat to a harness and how to take them for walks, and how walking a cat is not like walking a dog. Harness training cat is far more common in America as well as keeping them as indoor only which is why i think you will find his videos interesting.
I think she will be fine if she is harness trained properly and you get into a routine of taking her out. The one thing you need to make sure of is that she doesn't get the idea that every time the door is opened she is going out. You will need to spend a lot of time getting her used to the harness and walking in it before you even think of taking her out and you will have to make sure the harness fits her well and doesn't trap any of her fur, a good grooming after she has had it one would probably not go a miss. We did have a Ragdoll and he loved going outside (he was allowed free roam like my other cats) and never had a problem, he also was never bothered about going far, content just to sit in the garden and watch life going on. However we did notice that while his fur was normally fine, he did occasionally get mats normally after he got wet if we weren't careful to groom him thoroughly when he had dried, he happily sat out in the rain even though he had a cat flap and could come in any time he wanted, his fur though, once groomed, was also even more gorgeous after it had been rained on.
I will point you in the direction of Jackson Galaxy on Youtube, you may have come across him on his 'My Cat from Hell' TV series, he has some wonderful videos on how to train a cat to a harness and how to take them for walks, and how walking a cat is not like walking a dog. Harness training cat is far more common in America as well as keeping them as indoor only which is why i think you will find his videos interesting.
Re: Advice needed RE Indoor cat
Thank you Ruth! I will check out Jackson Galaxy on You Tube!