Harness for cats: tips on how to buy and properly dress a cat. Beautiful collars and features of training a cat to use a collar (105 photos)

Why does a cat need a harness?

Of course, free walks are preferable for a cat, but, unfortunately, this is not applicable everywhere. If you live in a rural area, you are unlikely to walk your cats on a leash. And in the private sector, cats have slightly different functions than just being pets. These are working animals whose direct duty is to catch mice, and doing this on a leash is quite difficult. If you live in a quiet city area in a small house with a cozy yard, where everyone knows each other, there are few cars, there are no inadequate sadistic neighbors who consider cats their personal enemies, it is quite acceptable to let the cat live a full cat life (but it’s up to you to decide, of course ).

Walking on a leash is justified if you live in a large multi-storey building, where it is difficult for a cat to get outside, and staying there is unsafe. There is no doubt that megacities with a lot of cars and paved local areas are not the best place for cat walks. Therefore, if you want your pet to go for walks, you cannot do without a leash, and therefore without a harness, since a collar for attaching a leash is absolutely not suitable for a cat, because in this case, when pulling, the main load falls on the animal’s neck, which may damage it. For cats, a mounting option is required on the back - on the shoulder blades or even lower.

In megacities, it is better for cats to walk under control

With supervised walks, you can be sure that your animal:

• will not get lost;
• will not eat any nasty things;
• will not be attacked by cruel people, aggressive relatives and dogs, annoying children;
• won't get hit by a car.

Under no circumstances should you leave your cat tied to a leash unattended, even on your own property or dacha. It is not uncommon for tethered cats to be torn to pieces by stray dogs that had made their way into the territory, and because of the tether they had no opportunity to escape or climb a tree.

Not all cats will benefit from walks (and therefore the use of a harness). You should not insist on walking if:

• your animal is under five months old: in this case, there is a high risk of catching some dangerous infection (this is also true for unvaccinated adults);
• you have a timid and nervous animal for which a walk would be too stressful;
• your pet has reached a respectable age, but has never gone outside: you shouldn’t even start - it will also be too much of a shock for him, let him live out his days in peace;
• your cat has had an illness or surgery;
• your cat is in heat or late in pregnancy.

In addition to walking, harnesses with a leash can be used when visiting the veterinarian, traveling in public transport or at exhibitions.

Selection rules

To make your furry friend feel comfortable, take her choice seriously.

When choosing, you should pay attention to the following subtleties:

• Durable, impact-resistant material is best suited for such an accessory. However, it should not be heavy and rough.
• It is better to choose from elastic and soft fabric. A product made of nylon works well, but cotton can be used. This product does not cause discomfort to the animal and is quite easy to clean.
• The width of the harness straps must be correct. Too narrow straps will press and rub, while wide ones will hinder movement. Of course, a lot depends on the size of the cat. The optimal width of the straps is from 1 to 1.5 centimeters.
• Pay attention to the strength of the fastenings. They should be easy to fasten and unfasten.
• Many products are adjustable in size. But it’s better to try on something new.

Two fingers should easily pass between the body and the back.

The harness is an excellent accessory for safe walks with your pet.

Made from leather, they are practically unsuitable for cats. Due to its rigidity and sufficient weight, such an attribute can cause discomfort to the animal.

How to put a harness on a cat

Before putting the harness on your cat, practice on a stationary object, such as a toy. It is very important that you act confidently, clearly and quickly, because the cat senses your mood very sensitively, and uncertainty is transmitted to the animal: it begins to get nervous, tries to break free, scratches and bites, and if you still manage to put on a harness, it tries to free itself and throw off an incomprehensible object.

Before putting a harness on your cat, practice on a stationary object.

The general rule when putting on a harness is: it should fit snugly, but not restrict movement. Ideally, a finger should fit between the harness straps and the animal’s body (the two-finger rule is for dogs, but if you put it on a cat, it will turn out without much effort). It is better to fasten the leash when the harness is already on.

Figure-of-eight harness

Option for figure eight with attached straps:

1. Unfasten both straps.
2. Let's take the cat.
3. Fasten the neck strap.
4. The place for attaching the leash is located clearly between the shoulder blades.
5. Fasten the strap around the body.
6. Attach a leash.

Option for team eight:

1. We pass the end of the strap into the bridle and make a loose loop.
2. We take the cat and put a noose around its neck.
3. We adjust the girth and make sure that the leash mount is located between the shoulder blades.
4. We wrap the strap around the animal's body and fasten it. The main thing is to make sure that the strap does not twist anywhere.
5. Attach a leash.

H-harness

We put H-shaped harnesses on the pet like this:

1. Unfasten both rings.
2. Let's take the cat.
3. Fasten the neck ring.
4. We place the jumper between the shoulder blades.
5. Fasten the chest ring.
6. We attach the leash.

Y-harness

This model has two options. In the first, the neck strap is unfastened, in the second - not.

In the first case:

1. Unfasten both straps.
2. We place the jumper at the bottom and insert the animal’s paw into the triangle formed by the jumper and the neck and chest straps.
3. Fasten the strap around the neck.
4. Fasten the strap on the chest.
5. We attach the leash.

Second option:

1. We put the neck ring on the cat.
2. We insert the cat's paw into the formed triangle.
3. Make sure that the jumper goes through the center of the chest.
4. Fasten the chest ring.
5. We attach the leash.

Video: how to assemble and put on a Y-harness

Harnesses with two jumpers are put on in the same way.

V-harness

These models are very easy to put on; you just need to lay them out on the floor, place the animal’s front paws in triangles, and then fasten the clasp and attach the leash.

V-shaped harnesses are the easiest to put on a cat.

Video: how to put a V-harness on a cat

Harness-vest

These types of harnesses come with fasteners both on the stomach and chest, and on the back. In the first case, you simply wrap the cat with a harness and fasten it at the bottom. In the second, you put the paws through the holes and fasten them on the back.

We do it ourselves

You can make a harness for your cat from belts yourself; the quality will not be inferior to store-bought ones, if you choose the right material and stitch the fastenings properly.

Choose dense fabrics: soft denim, nylon. Reliable fastening: buttons, straps with clasp.

To make the common “H” shaped harness model, a large sewing needle is sufficient. Measurements are taken: the chest is grasped behind the front legs, the radius of the neck, and the distance of these measurements from each other.

The width of the straps should not exceed 1.5 cm in finished form. For strength, they are stitched on both sides.

We sew fasteners to the edges for the neck and chest. We connect them with a jumper, onto which we pre-attach the ring for the carabiner of the leash.

For those who love handicrafts and sewing on a sewing machine. Patterns for a harness-vest for a cat are not difficult to find on the Internet. Or come up with an original style.

How to accustom a cat to a harness and leash

It is better to accustom a cat to a harness from childhood, but this is also possible in adulthood. It’s good if your cat wears a collar, in which case she will take the harness calmly:

1. First, introduce your cat to a new object. Let him sniff, examine, touch - the cat must make sure that he is safe.

   Be sure to introduce your cat to the new harness so that she understands that this item is safe.

2. By the way, if the harness has an unpleasant and pungent odor, the cat will definitely not like it. Wash it, air it out, freeze it in winter, bake it in the sun in summer, in general, do everything to get rid of this smell. Then place the harness next to the cat's toys or in the basket where the cat sleeps.
3. When the harness is perceived as your property, start putting it on. If the experiment is successful, be sure to praise the cat and pet it. Let the cat walk around in the harness, play, eat, or even sleep, in general, get used to feeling it on its body. The time spent in the harness should be increased gradually.
4. If your pet resists, it is best to calm him down first, distract him, and then try again. We must not allow the “harness – unpleasant sensations” connection to become established in the cat’s brain.
5. Well, now the cat is used to the harness, it’s time to accustom it to the leash. First, attach him to the harness and let him walk around the apartment so that he can freely follow it. This should only be done under your supervision, because you need to make sure that the leash does not get caught on anything. Otherwise, the cat may feel trapped, try to free itself, panic and, ultimately, begin to perceive the leash as a dangerous object that it is better not to mess with.
6. If this stage was successful, teach the cat to follow you on its heels. Take a leash and follow the cat around the room.
7. It's time to conduct field tests. The place for walking should be quiet and safe, preferably away from a dog walk, so that irreparable incidents do not occur. Be patient and let the cat get comfortable, do not try to immediately lower it to the ground. If she is scared of something, pick her up, calm her down and go home. The first walks should be short, increase the time spent outside gradually.

   If the cat likes to walk, the harness will not interfere with it

If you do everything correctly and without coercion, your cat will love walks, and they will bring you both many pleasant moments.