Leash Training Your Cat

Cat on a leash?! It’s Max., originally uploaded by Juhansonin.

I have owned (or rather been owned by) cats most of my existence on this Earth. I cannot remember a point in my life when there wasn’t a cat around for me to maul and I blame this all on my mother. My mom always fed all the neighborhood cats and would somehow manage to tame most of them. I am convinced that she is to cats what Cesar Milan is to dogs. When my mom came for my college graduation this past May, my cat of nearly four years suddenly began sitting on her lap. I have been trying to get my cat to lay in my lap for the entire time I have had her but to no avail and yet my mom comes in and sits down for barely ten minutes and my cat jumps into her lap and lays down. Similarly, when Cesar Milan walks into a room with a manic Jack Russell, the dog suddenly becomes docile. It’s truly something you need to see for yourself.

When I saw this article recently in the New York Times, I knew that this guy and my mom are probably the two people on this planet that can actually train a cat to walk on a leash. I know that when I tried with my cat that she pulled, meowed and clawed her way back to freedom the moment I put the leash on her. Perhaps I am doing something wrong. So it leads me to the obvious question, is this just a special cat or can you train any cat to walk on a leash?

According to Warren Eckstein, author of the critically acclaimed book “How to Get Your Cat to do What You Want”, leash training a cat isn’t easy and takes a lot of patience and time. However, the benefits of leash training your cat are abundant, especially for those who live in apartments or other small spaces. Cats can easily become bored and in turn become destructive. Like dogs, exercise is a key component to releasing pent up energy. The correct equipment, coupled with constant reassurance and affection can turn your cat into a leash trained wonder.

For those who are interested in further information on how to leash train your cat, please visit the Cats International website for helpful tips. Good luck!