How did you train her to walk on a lead?

The question we get asked the most is, without a doubt, “How long did it take to train her on a lead? Why didn't you train both cats to walk on a lead?” We don't think we trained her, she wanted to try it and so it worked.

Geordie was approximately 4-5 months old when she arrived on our doorstep. A couple of months later we went up to North Carolina stay at a dear friends 'cabin in the woods.' In Georgia we lived in a loft and Geordie had no chance to be outside. We were keen to let her enjoy the fabulous garden and the peace of the surroundings in N.C....the house was on a couple of hundred acres and the most noise was the bubbling brook running below the house.

Before we went up there, we put a harness on her in the loft every couple of days and let her get used to it. Once up at the house in N.C., we put the harness on her for 2 days straight inside, on the third day Lee carried her outside, sat on a stump in the garden and put her on his lap. We waited. She sat there for a while and finally after about 20 minutes, she got off his lap and walked around a bit. We kept the lead short but she stayed close to him anyway.

The next few days we repeated the process. Each day she ventured further out from him and explored more. By the end of the stay she was happily exploring the garden, climbing trees (which at times got quite exciting, like when she had to descend from the tree like a parachutist dangling from a branch) and chasing lizards. We've not looked back since.

And that's how it came about. We tried putting a harness on Chaussettes after she was about 5 months old. She was having none of it. We tried again after a month. No, she said. Ever.

We don't believe you can force a cat. Nor can you train them. If they want to do it fine. If not, give up gracefully and go find something else to do!

Geordie hiking the trails at Rockhound State Park, New Mexico