I feel terrible every time i look at my new kitten sitting on the window sill staring at the great outdoors and never being able to venture out there. None of my previous cats have ever been indoor cats. We live in a self contained flat in a massive old house which is now a boarding school. Both my husband and I work at the school, and our daughter is a pupil there. There are loads of people coming and going in the building, deliveries (the delivery entrance is just below us), trucks, cars in and out all day long - and the building is an absolute maze of corridors, with loads of hiding places. It's just not safe for Rajah to be let loose in. The greatest shame is that while he was still with his mum, her owners let them out into the garden, so he has had that wonderful taste of fresh air and freedom already and I can sense the longing in him. We battle to keep him back when the front door gets opened, but in the evening when everyone is gone (just in the holidays though) we let him out to wander in the delivery area, and the stairs and landing across from us.
But still, the great outdoors calls! I have thought of buying a harness for him, but at the local pet shop chain I can't seem to find one small enough, and besides, it looks like bits of coloured rope knotted together, and Rajah will twist out of that in a flash. One of the pet accessory websites was advertising a jacket type harness which looked much safer, but not sure how kitty will react to any of this.
What are your experiences of harnessing and walking a kitten, what is the best type to buy and the best time to start getting him used to it? He is 3 months old.
My daughter says that she will not go out with a cat on a lead, because her friends will fall about laughing at her. I suspect she is right! But laugh or not, I still feel the cat needs to get out, and I'll walk him if that's the case. Please tell me what you think!
