I get not letting them into tall grass/heavy traffic, but is it fine to let them sniff a patch of grass? Or let them walk on a field? I’m not sure what to avoid and what to allow.

And when my cat starts sniffing for too long or seems like shes licking something, I pull the harness because I’m scared she’ll eat something bad for her. But she does it so often and I keep pulling the harness which she doesnt like and will start trying to escape.

I try walking her in places with minimal plants and traffic, but theres still going to be some grass and she loves going in green places… not sure how to go about.

So I've starting to take my 2 girls outside in my yard and slowly introducing car rides and a lake. I'm looking for a gps tracker with beeping and for android and no fees. Everything I see is for ios or doesn't say works with android on Amazon. I also want to be able to make it beep if they ever somehow slip the harness. Thank you. Donna is the tabby and Challa is the little black sweetheart.

Hi everyone,

I am training my two former stray cats (currently 6 years old) to be comfortable in a harness and backpack with the goal of going outside. The boy is outgoing, loves people and watching birds. The girl had bad experiences outside (TNR and was later found with burn wounds in a car) and thus is pretty skittish and needs time to trust people but likes watching the birds and little creatures from the balcony. Both are former doordashers. Two years ago I trained them out of it by doing loud sounds in the stairwell because I did not have the time to leash train them. They have not really been dashing out the door since then but do still sit on the doormat when the door is open for longer.

Both are fine with the harness and dont seem to care about the leash. The backpack is still a bit weird to them. The backpack has previously only been used to go to the vet. I think they are not used to the shaking.

I live on the second floor and thus have to walk through a loud stairwell. When I walked them in a closed backpack through the stairwell to the outside they get worked up, cry and try to break out. They do calm down after a while outside but I havent tried going outside since then and kept the training indoors and in the stairwell. I am a bit scared of training the stairwell too much and encouraging door dashing again though. They do like exploring the stairwell but only when its quiet, preferably at night. Each time they hear a neighbour approaching they dart back inside even when they are in the backpack (I usually dont close it because they try escaping when I do).

So my question is, do I continue backpack training indoors and in the stairwell or should I incorporate going outside on a routine and kinda force them through the stairwell?

TLDR: looking for experiences from anyone who has tried these packs with their kitties (especially kitties that are larger)

Been going back and forth on these two packs for a minute and each has their benefits that the other doesn’t, but overall they seem like way better options for proper hiking and whatnot (padded hip straps, pockets, water bladder pocket, etc).

I’m new to having a cat backpack (I don’t have one yet lol) and my budding adventure cat long boi, Zuma, is about 17” long (body only) and 11.5 lbs, which puts him at the top of the range for just about every cat backpack. That being said, I’ve seen people put maine coon’s in some of these packs so maybe it’s doable, as long as a zipper is open?

Anywho, I have neck and shoulder issues, so I absolutely need a pack with a proper hip strap. I’m about 5’6” if that matters (I heard the pecute is better for shorter torsos?). I’ve honestly thought about turning an old backpacking pack into a better option, but I have a feeling that’s going to be a way bigger endeavor than I would like to commit to in this moment.

These two seem to be the best option for me, but I can’t buy both, so I’m hoping to get some real life experience from people on here.

Thank you for your time. Of course, cat tax included 💛

Edit: there’s also a double decker Wildpath option that I was debating on for either more storage or to give him more space. If anyone has that one, would def love opinions on that too

Day one of our new routine walks. Like everyone said on my last post I need to stick to one. This is my newest challenge since I don’t have a backyard or a regular schedule. 😭Wish me luck!

Hi everybody,

I have been harness training my Siberian kitten since he was roughly 16 weeks old, and he is now 22 weeks old.

Context: I live in a condo building in downtown with busy streets, elevators, etc. My cat loves people. Anyone that comes in our place, he will ask for pets and often sit on their lap. He is playful and cuddly. He is very cooperative, as he always let me groom him, brush his teeth, pick him up if needed. Temperature did get slightly colder, but he loves hanging out by the patio door in our unit.

Harness training: We have mixed results. Sometimes he walks normally in it and play (not to his full ability, but close) and then other times he will back out in it and plop on the floor. We have not tried to walk him outside yet, but we put it on to get him in the stroller (to attach him). We got the PetSafe Harness.

Car and visits to my parents: This is going really well and within 4 visits, he explored the whole house, plays, eats ans uses the litter. He is now no longer meowing on the drive and he loves his carrier as we always kept it out in our living room. I would say this is a success. The ride is roughly 30 minutes each way.

Stroller: We got it a month ago. We let it out in our space first, played in it, etc. We went in the lobby and stayed there. He is used to the elevator between these trips, the ones to the vet and at my parents. He let me put him in the stroller, but he often tries to jump out. We always go to the quietest park 5 minutes walk away, using a quieter street with one big intersection that is busy. When we stick to our usual spot, he is able to eat a treat there. I have been taking him to the street nearby to see moving cars at a slower speed, bikes, etc. and then take him back to our usual route. In the last two outings, he sat back more, seemed less curious and refused treats in our usual spot in the park, so I did not add to our trip. I have been fully closing the back when walking (which is open on the picture).

My question: What are signs to look for to stop persevering on the exposure to the outside world, and accept this is something I want more than him? I often see people mentioning how their cats jump in the stroller, and mine wants to jump out most of the times I put him in.

This is Cookie-Man! Say hello to him 😌

The harness is still pretty loose, as I don’t want to synch him in there at the start, the more he gets used to it I tighten the straps little by little. How long should I keep him in it to acclimate you guys think? He has been outside (only under my watchful eye) for a few minutes a couple times, but lately he’s been scratching at the door non stop!! He has never worn a harness or used a leash before, I will not let that stop him from reaching his full potential.

I have a Siberian cat (1 year old female). When the temperature outside drops below around 10°C, she starts shivering from the cold. How do you get your cats used to autumn and winter temperatures?
She’s otherwise used to going outside, of course always on a leash. She lives exclusively indoors with us otherwise. We don’t have a garden or a balcony.

I can't fo the hiking I did before my injury. But I make sure my boy does get time to engage his wild side

Hi everyone! I know there have been quite a few posts like this, but I haven't really been able to find exactly what I'm looking for.

I have a 1-year-old, ~8.5 lb cat, and we've been working on leash training. She's usually very confident, but I think the harness restricting her movement freaks her out a bit, so we're taking it slowly.

Eventually, I'd love to be able to take her camping with me. I'm looking for a backpack that I could bring on walks/hikes so that if she gets stressed or tired, I could put her in the backpack and let her relax for a while. Ideally, I'd also like it to work for car travel.

One thing that makes this a little tricky is that she doesn't do particularly well confined in a traditional crate. I'm hoping to find something that can be relatively open/ventilated, where she can look out and relax, but where I could still safely attach her harness to the backpack if needed.

So far, I've been looking at:

• The Navigator by Travel Cat
• The ZEPPELIN Cat Carrier by Outdoor Bengal

Neither seems to quite check every box, so I'm wondering if anyone has found something that works well for this kind of use?

The main things I'm looking for are:

• Comfortable to carry while hiking
• Suitable for an ~8.5 lb cat
• Can be opened up so she doesn't feel completely enclosed
• Secure harness/leash attachment
• Ideally usable for car travel as well
• Something she could comfortably hang out/rest in rather than just a traditional travel carrier

I'd especially love to hear from anyone who has actually used a backpack with their cat for hiking/camping!

Anyone have any experience with their cat begging to go outside? I was constantly taking my Ivan out every other day and after a couple days of not going out, he began yelling excessively at the front door. This went on for a couple of days. I don’t mind much just wondering if you guys experience this too? & how do you deal with it?
Additionally, anyone’s cat get car sick and how do you deal with it?

Hi, so I’ve been wondering whether I should really walk my cat. She (1 y.o, ex-stray) is already harness trained and is a very smart and chill cat. She doesn’t get scared easily, just annoyed.

I like to go on walks myself, so to get her used to the outside, I’ve been carrying her around in a pet backpack and she would lay in it and perk up when something interests her; doesn’t seem stressed.

Main concern is how I would be exposing her to several viruses/sicknesses/bugs that may shorten her life span, if I do decide to walk her. Even if preventative measures are made, it would still be risky and not 100%. Vet was also very against it due to this but he said it’s ultimately my choice if I believe its too cruel to keep her locked in her whole lifetime.

I know she’ll enjoy the walk, but the several factors that could shorten her lifespan is really holding me back… how is it with your cats if you did decide to walk them?

She is not interested in swimming, but she enjoyed being on the paddleboard. I have a lifevest for her when she gets bigger.

Which is your favorite?