Hi there, I am thinking of getting a harness and leash for my cat. There are tooooooo many options to choose from. I need something safe and sturdy and something she can't get easily out of. I can imagine her to really fight for her life to get out of it and she will try to tear it apart and she doesn't give in easily. Can anyone recommend one that they have tested?

There are several types of harnesses. The main thing is that you NEVER take your cat outside on the harness until she is completely comfortable wearing it. Thus it could take several attempts to get your cat to wear the harness before you can ever attach the leash and go outside.

A cat does one of three things when the harness is placed on them. They fall down and act paralyzed as if they cannot walk. This is so common. Try to entice with a treat or toy as once the cat realizes it can actually stand up wearing the harness, they are usually fine. Or, they will fight the harness tooth and nail. If that happens, try to distract with a treat or a toy. If you do not succeed, take the harness off and try again later. And keep trying until your cat adjusts to the harness. Note, this can take weeks. Lastly, your cat will look at the harness and simply start walking around. That's what happened with my cat and I attached the leash and we were out the door. Do not rush your cat. The leash is totally foreign to her. So patience is the key.

That being said, many people swear by the walking jacket. This is usually custom made to fit your cat.

walking jacket.jpg

I use an H harness which has clasps at the neck and the back. It is completely adjustable to fit your cat.

There is a figure 8 harness that I do not recommend.

We got the jackets, took us a couple of weeks to train them but they are sturdy and don't hurt them.
That said, one of them managed to get out of her jacket mysteriously when tangled in a bush.

Diablo also got out of all the jackets I bought. The H-harness was the only thing that worked for my escape artist!

We use the harness. The only time Quasar ever escaped from it, he backed out of it in a hotel lobby. I learned that it has to be on as snugly as I can make it - kind of like doing up the girth on a horse saddle.

Once the harness is on, Quasar doesn't even seem to notice he is wearing it.

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~ Kyenta

I have just purchased a harness jacket from a Bengal Cat owner who hand makes them and classes them as escape proof.

I'm not sure if I am allowed to put the link on the forum so i'll PM you with it, and you can act on it or not she is UK based.

Mynwood walking jackets are very good, they are made too measure and guarantee the cat will not escape, the lady who makes them owns a bengal so has made them with this in mind because they are strong cats.
They ship all over the world.
I originally had the normal harness and my previous boy was big and strong and he escaped more th an once from these type of harnesses.

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Clare
Magic (brown spotted boy born 31 March 2012)
Pearl (seal Lynx Point girl born 1 October 2015)
Bristol, UK

Mynwood is where i ordered from and she will personalize them for you.

Mynwood is where I have purchased our last 2 jackets. It is fun to personalize them but they are not escape proof and they are not advertised as such on the Mynwood website.

"Although I cannot guarantee that my jackets are totally escape proof I have worked to get them to be as close as possible."

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~ Kyenta

Thanks everyone! I'll look at Mynwood. Looks like you can also either get 1m or 5m leads there. 1m lead seems quite short for me, or would it be long enough?

1 m is pretty short. We use a 16' retractable lead.

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~ Kyenta

I use a 10' retractable lead for Raiden. The longer the lead, the more trouble your cat can get into. As it is, 10' will get wrapped around the shrubs and I'm constantly having to untangle it. I would never go past a 16' lead, period! You want to keep your kitty as close to you as possible, unless you're in a wide open space. My Raiden goes straight for the bushes.

Retractable leads are the best to control a cat. They come with a "brake" that you can lock in the length. Raiden's lead is super short but I still have to brake when he decides he wants to go around a large shrub. Unfortunately, walking a bengal means constantly walking a bengal. Mine gets two walks a day and that's still not enough for him. He yowls and cries at the door, jumps up on the table where I keep his harness. He makes me miserable until I can get him out the door. I wish I had never started them but he was an outdoor cat and used to roaming freely and I had to stop that when I got him. It's two walks a day, regardless of how sick I feel (and I've been sick for over a week), how hot it is, how cold it is, raining, snowing. Does not matter. Raiden is determined and ready to head out at any time. I slipped and fell on some ice almost four weeks ago and have been limping in pain -- no sympathy from my cat whatsoever! So know that once you start, it will be a forever thing.

Yea, you're right. She will most likely want to go outside all the time. I need to think about this a little more, but I do feel like she is missing out. She is on her own a lot and though it seems like she is used to it, I just want to make her days a bit more exciting.

Where do you normally walk your cats? Just down the road? I live by a busy road and I don't want her to get spooked. Would it be better to take her somewhere quiet at first? Park? Friends back garden?

We do have a communal back garden, but there is another cat there all the time. He doesn't bother Katniss when she sees him out the window, but I know for a fact she won't be happy coming face to face with him.

I hope you feel better Sherry, sounds like a very nasty fall :(.