Article From SubmitYOURArticle.com: Take Your Cat for a Walk?

After a long, hard day at work, wouldn't it be a
nice stress reliever to get outside and take a
walk...with your cat? It sounds pretty strange
but there are people out there who have a harness
and leash made especially for their felines so
that they don't miss out on going outside and
getting some exercise.

Today, it's recommended that cat parents make
their cats indoor-only. There are way too many
dangers of having a domestic cat roaming about
and coming into contact with another animal (or
who knows what else!) and getting hurt or picking
up some kind of illness. But cats still need to
log some exercise to stay healthy.

Cats Can Be Trained

Cats can be trained to be on a leash, although
it's not the same type of training that you would
use on your dog. The keys to leash training a
cat are patience and perseverance; the process is
a lengthy one and it can take months to get your
cat accustomed to the harness and leash (a collar
and leash will not work on a cat because they
could easily slip out of it).

The training involves a number of steps that need
to progress slowly and only when your cat is
ready. It could take weeks for your cat just to
get used to wearing a harness and leash around
the house before you're ready to practice outside
(this is where patience comes into play). Your
cat may also be very distracted by the harness or
try to fight the leash, at which point it's time
to to a break and go back to it later (this is
where perseverance comes into play).

Some Cat Experts Beg to Differ

Arguing against the concept of a cat needing to
go outdoors for exercise, feline experts are
adamant that you can give an indoor-only cat
sufficient stimulation by playing games with them
and providing them with entertaining toys and
climbing stands.

Moreover, dogs and cats don't react in the same
way when something scares them. What if there's
a noisy truck or a dog that decides to come over
and investigate the situation while you're on a
walk? Your cat could try to flee, maybe hurting
themselves or even you.

It's also debated that once you give your cat a
taste for the outdoors, they might want to go
outside all the time and dart for the door when
it's open. You could potentially have an escapee
on your hands whenever you're coming and going.

Leash Laws for Cats

In addition to pet experts making a movement for
house cats to be exclusively indoor cats, now
some towns are mandating it. For residents in
New Orleans, Dallas, Green Bay, and Houston (and
a couple dozen other municipalities around the
US) if owners want their cats to go outdoors,
they must be on a leash. Cats that are allowed
to be "at large" may end up in neighbors' yards
leaving behind a mess or killing other wildlife,
two big reasons that these cities have enacted
the leash law.

It's Up to You

It's not bizarre these days to walk around
Central Park in NYC, or other areas across the
US, and see a couple of cats on a leash.
Ultimately, the decision to take your cat for a
walk is up to you. Even if your town has a leash
law, you can always make the effort to play with
your cat inside for exercise so that being
outdoors isn't necessary. If you do want to work
with your cat on leash training, starting very
early on in her life and getting her used to the
concept could give you more of an advantage than
starting when she's older.

----------------------------------------------------
Kim Salerno is the President & Founder of
TRIPSwithPETS.com. She founded the pet travel
site in 2003 and is an expert in the field of pet
travel. Kim is a veteran of the travel industry -
formerly serving as Director of Internet
Marketing for Certified Vacations. Her mission is
to ensure that pets are welcome, happy,and safe
in their travels. Visit
http://www.tripswithpets.com

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