hey welcome to my channel which is all about helping you and your pet live the best life together possible we talk about things like behavior training and creating a life of health bounce and joy for your pet so today we will be talking about how to teach your cat or your rabbit to walk on a leash so you can use these same tips for both a cat and a rabbit and soon you'll be able to take your cat or rabbit outside on a leash so cats and rabbits enjoy trips outside to explore in safety trips outside can give them some enrichment in their life they can have some smells and some different sights that they normally wouldn't be seen inside they can get fresh air enjoy the sunshine be unsafe to let your cat outside without being on a leash or beamed without being supervised because of things like traffic other wild animals getting lost viruses and bacteria and also other people overall cats that are let outside do you have a shorter life span than cats that are only indoor cats this is because of the things that I had mentioned like a traffic or injury other wild animals but the only thing is that indoor cats can often get bored and that they do like to experience the same sort of things that outdoor cats can and when you teach your cat to walk on a leash your cat can get those same experiences so your cat gets supervised outdoor time and your cat is safe taking your cat or your rabbit on a leash doesn't necessarily mean that your cat or rabbit will be walking the same as a dog it's more just exploring and sniffing around outside it can just be in your backyard it can be in a quiet place or a little park but it's not don't expect the same experience as if you had a dog it can be difficult to train your cat to get used to the leash especially if your cat is already older it works better when your cat is a kitten it's easier for your cat to get used to but that doesn't mean that you can't train your older cat to get used to a leash first you are going to need to buy a comfortable harness do not use Koller for a leash for your rabbit or your cat make sure that the harness is tight enough that your cat or a rabbit will not escape or pull through make sure the clasps are strong so the first thing you're going to do is get your cat or rabbit used to the leash this step will take longer in cats and in rabbits it might be a lot quicker so for your cat you're gonna place the leash near your cat sleeping area and leave it there for a few days or as long as you think is needed this is just getting your cat used to the appearance and the smell of the leash you can also hold the harness out towards your cat use treats as rewards when your cat does come close find something that your cat really enjoys to eat and keep using this have the cat eat meals near the harness play near the harness do all sorts of of your cat's favorite activities near the harness when your cat is used to the harness your cat will not care about it your cat will not sniff at your cat will not look at it your cat will show no interest in the harness some cats might get this right away and you don't have to repeat these steps of playing near the harness sleeping near the harness eating near the harness some cats it might take quite a long time before they're used to the harness so once you have discovered that your cat shows no interest in the harness you're ready to try and put the harness on your cat the minute your cat shows signs and becoming upset or being mad you need to stop it might take a few tries or a few days to get the harness on your cat once you have the harness on your cat reward your cat with treats only try to get your harness on your cat once a day and stop right away when your cat seems uncomfortable if your cat becomes scared of the harness or starts to not like the harness you are going to have a lot harder time getting the harness on your cat so it's best to just be extra careful and take it extra slow and to push your cat farther than your cat and wants to go your cat has the harness on you're going to let your cat wear the harness around the house you're also going to play with your cat while your cat is wearing the harness give your cat its favorite food while he or she's wearing the harness and keep the harness on for just a short period of time and then over each day you can expand the time that your cat wears the harness remember this is all inside the house so you're gonna repeat this repeat playing with your cat while your cat is wearing the harness and feeding your cat while your cat is wearing the harness and putting the harness on and off your cat for a few days each time leave the harness on for a longer period of time so after a few days and after you've done this quite a bit you can attach the leash to the harness and walk the cat around the house so remember that you're keeping everything inside the house be sure to watch carefully about how your cat is taking the harness and how your cat is enjoying it the minute you think your cat is uncomfortable angry or wants the harness off take the harness off and stop the activity always remember to praise your cat give your cat treats that your cat and your cat's favorite spot to be pet in and play with your cat so do this a few times every day once you have discovered that your cat is comfortable with the harness you're ready to take your cat outside while wearing the harness for the first time your cat is outside while wearing the harness let your cat go wherever he or she wants to go you're just following your cat around your cat probably won't do much and will might just sit down and look that's fine let you can't do that this is your cat's first time outside or it may be your cat's first time outside there are a lot of sounds and smells and scary things that your cat has never seen before so let your cat take it all in you don't want your cat to become scared so the first time you're outside keep it very short and then bring your cat back inside every time you go outside you can expand the time and make it longer so some things to remember is to never pull or restrict your cat's movements just let your catwalk and you're the one following your cat around this is going to keep your cat interested and liking the harness and being outside once your cat is very comfortable you will be able to walk around with your cat but it will take some time before you can get there keep the leash very loose you don't want any tension or pulling on the harness or on the cat so keep it very loose stay close to your cat keep the lead very long after you've done that a few times you can teach your cat to follow you so we'll hold the leash and while your cat is stuffing or looking around you can call your cat to you be sure to call friendly gentle calm so there's no yelling or no pulling be sure not to pull on the leash when you want to bring your cat to you once your cat comes to you can reward your cat with a treat so leash training should be fun and enjoyable for your cat if your cat isn't having fun or isn't enjoying it it's time to stop and you can repeat it pick it up again the next day remember that every cat will move at a different pace and some cats move a lot more slowly than other cats let the cat lead the pace and follow what your cat wants to do so as I mentioned outside can be very scary there are a lot of new sights smells and sounds and textures to walk on so respect your cat and if your cat is scared or nervous you need to stop take your time take it slow be very patient so as I mentioned these steps can also be used for rabbits so I hope you learned something and enjoyed this video let me know in the comments below if you plan on taking your cat outside on a leash or if you have already done so and how it went thanks for watching you