How To Harness Train Your Cat In 6 Easy Steps!

[@kittycatgoadventures]

Did you find this video helpful? Then you'll love my self-paced cat harness and leash training course - bit.ly/HarnessTrainingCourse It includes written, audio, and video lessons on everything from choosing a harness and leash, to harness training, leash training, outdoor training, preventing harness escapes, and other outdoor safety considerations. You can also get personalized help and feedback, and even submit videos of your cat's training for review!

[@greylonewolf_outdoors]

I was kinda stubborn and just put on one her without taking steps to getting her used it. And she flipped the hell out. It fit her perfectly, but I should've watch this video first.

[@kittycatgoadventures]

It happens! It’s not too late to try again!

[@greylonewolf_outdoors]

@@kittycatgoadventures I won't give up my cat, but getting her on a leash will give her freedom from the place I live. So I'll work on your steps

[@aeroorangegacha]

@@greylonewolf_outdoorsdid it work?

[@kraptastic333]

hope it worked out ya cat daddy

[@alaynareynolds1268]

I did the same thing. My cat acted like it was the heaviest thing in the world, and had her belly sinking to the floor and wouldn’t walk properly. As silly as she looked, I felt bad! I didn’t think it would be any different than putting a collar on a dog. Thankfully I found this video

[@threeballwilly]

We're going to need a more advanced course, my fur baby blew through all these steps in two days! I had a whole list to work with him on and he yeeted that piece of paper into the trash! The 20th of April will be his third week completed of exploring my one-acre property. So far no treats involved, he just wanted to do it. I'm so proud of him! He was indoor/outdoor before I moved, and became primarily indoor. My little booger is 11, brilliant, super chill, and is doing pretty darn good!

[@kittycatgoadventures]

That’s awesome! I’m glad to hear your kitty flew through his training and is enjoying the adventure life!

[@dudenowayshorts]

IM SO GLAD I FOUND YOUR CHANNEL

[@kittycatgoadventures]

Thank you! I’m so glad you did too 😸

[@faithyoung5879]

Thank you thank you thank you for this! I've been trying to train our stray to use the harness but it hasn't been going well. I have been training with him only for a few days now just with handling and I am noticing a HUGE difference. He would only let me hold him for a second, now I can hold him a lot longer. I have started laying the harness on him and in just two days he seems comfortable with it. This has done wonders, thank you!

[@kittycatgoadventures]

I’m so glad my video has been helpful for you! Sounds like your boy is making great progress! 😸

[@Eaglemadhatter]

We got the dog and cat getting along easy enough. We hope to take the kitten soon to be cat out to the park with us. She's really wanting to go out. 😊

[@kittycatgoadventures]

Yay, that’s awesome!

[@amandawoodward4099]

I have a cross-country move coming up. Im gonna try this with my cat, so hopefully, we can give some time outside of her crate.

[@kittycatgoadventures]

That’s awesome! Best of luck with the move!

[@willgowan3267]

Hey this actually exactly why I was looking into harness training my cat!

[@smxytourtle]

My biggest issue is my cat doesn’t give a fuck about treats other then cheese and I obviously can’t give a ton of cheese. Also I worry my cat is super skidding and idk when I should be ok to bring him outside to test everything out. He was an outdoor cat for 11 years and has been indoor for just over a year and a half and idk if he is used to the outdoors or if he’ll associate it with running and freedom and go to escape immediately. If I was at my old house an escape is easy bc he’d just come home. But he’s moved twice now and I live in an apartment without access for him to simply roam back home if he could even find his way back at all. Using a leash outside is one thing I wanna do to help him understand where I live and to at least roam back and chill by the entrance if he somehow escaped my apartment. As of rn he’s got no shot. I really wanna give him a chance again to experience the outdoors because he loves it for a decade but I’m scared I’ll lose him forever if I mess something up.

[@kittycatgoadventures]

Have you experimented with the type of treat you offer? Most cats go nuts for those squeezie treats, like Churu or Catit Creamies. Your cat's eating habits can also greatly affect their desire for treats and willingness to train for treat rewards. If your cat free fed? If so, you might consider switching to scheduled meals. Most cats aren't going to be excited about or willing to "work" for treats when they can just walk over to their food bowl and get a snack anytime they want. As for introducing to the outside, that is definitely a gradual process. You should start by opening your back door (or whichever door of your home leads to the quietest area) and sitting inside the door with your cat on their harness and leash (this step happens after your cat is already fully accepting of the harness and leash). Then you gradually take a couple steps outside when your cat is ready, etc. I actually have a harness training course coming out in a couple weeks that goes through the harness training, leash training, and outdoor training process.

[@greggjocoy7459]

Thank you. Clear, concise and helpful. I'll likely use this technique.

[@kraptastic333]

2:15 that's a glossy coat!! glad for the happy cat. referred to your video here to help with my anxious siamese cat. we are further from the days of teaching our domestic shorthair, and so it can seem confusing to us why the new cat doesn't take to the harness in the exact same way. it's clear that some aversion therapy + conditioning with treats will help more. still, he tries to roll on the ground to escape the harness when he is anxious! more to do

[@kittycatgoadventures]

@@kraptastic333 every cat is different for sure and handles training differently. Even after training all of our cats (8 of them over the past 10 years), it still amazes me how one cat does with training compared to another. Sometimes they just require extra time, patience, as even different strategies.

[@TheHallsofMusic]

This is awesome. Thank you!!

[@Sqnexus]

I’ve watched a lot of cat harness/leash training videos over the years but can honestly say yours have been the most helpful 🙏💛 How long do you recommend keeping the harness on? I’ve started with 5 minutes and am thinking to increase it by a couple of minutes each day.

[@kittycatgoadventures]

I’m glad the video has been helpful for you! Yeah, I usually recommend to increase time by a couple minutes each day. Starting with 5 minutes is okay if your cat is doing well with that, but if your they struggle, you can reduce it to just a minute or two.

[@professionalbummer3274]

my cat that was born in my closet was so easy to put a harness on and walk around, but her mom and older sister that were strays are another story. I'm excited to start trying these things to get them to be harness trained. Thanks so much for this video

[@kittycatgoadventures]

@@professionalbummer3274 it’s funny how some cats take to it immediately and other require more time, patience, and training!

[@_frogerino]

this is a great video, thanks! i’ve saved it to reference throughout the process 🙂

[@kittycatgoadventures]

I’m glad you found it helpful! Thanks for watching!

[@lauriewelsh4344]

So glad I found this video. What type of squeeze treat were you using? That looks like a great motivator!

[@kittycatgoadventures]

So glad you enjoyed the video and found it helpful! I usually use Catit Creamies for squeezie treats. They are an excellent motivator during training!

[@yelenadovale4135]

Your cat's fur is so shiny! ❤

[@TrainMePlease]

Thank you for this great tutorial. I will be sharing it with my clients.

[@kittycatgoadventures]

I’m glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching and sharing!

[@lisaschannel8761]

Hi! Was sent to your channel by Mewla Young. Love it!

[@kittycatgoadventures]

Thanks for visiting!

[@dawnramejkis609]

Just came across your video iam just learning how to harness my rag doll kitten I found your video so helpful thank you 😀

[@kittycatgoadventures]

I’m glad you found it helpful!

[@rashannamiller]

🥹 thank you, will try and come back with an update

[@kittycatgoadventures]

Awesome! I will look forward to a positive update! 😸

[@Myjoycaro]

So helpful! Thank you. Wondering if you can create a video on training to bathe a cat. ☺️

[@koreanpopnabi9]

Hi, I'm thinking of doing this training with my cat but I don't now how to choose a secure harness...may I try with a cheap one for the training and after using a better one? By your experience do you think it's ok or I'll need to train again with the new harness, I think it depends of the cat Hello from Switzerland and thank you for this video

[@kittycatgoadventures]

@@koreanpopnabi9 it all definitely depends on the cat. You might be able to start training with one harness and then switch to a different later with no issues. But sometimes a harness switch requires some retraining.

[@samdoehart1333]

Do you have any suggestions for training a cat that isn't very food motivated? My cat doesn't over-eat so I just have a gravity feeder for her. She's never gone overweight and never really has been hugely interested in treats. She does like those liquid tube treats but they're expensive so I can't afford to get large amounts of them.

[@kittycatgoadventures]

You can try using catnip or toys as motivation. Those work well in some cases. Or canned wet food on a spoon. Most cats who are free-fed are not treat motivated though. Why would they work for treats when they can just walk over to the food bowl? In most cases, changing to scheduled meals fixes the food motivation issue.

[@annakefala7937]

Such a nice video! I have a harness with no clips in the front. What steps do you recommend in this case ? (First head and then close the back?)

[@kittycatgoadventures]

Yes, you’d follow the same steps - practicing putting over the head first and then fastening the back, and then both. Many cats have a harder time with those types of harnesses though because they don’t like things going over their head. I’m not saying it’s not possible to train, just don’t be surprised if it takes longer to train that part. If your cat gets stuck on that step for a while without any forward progress, I’d recommend trying a different harness to train with.

[@dr.nisanceramidaomlac6065]

Question: I’m at the very beginning of this process. I’ve measured my cats and put several different kinds of harnesses in my Amazon cart. Now, before I begin the process of harness training, I’m going to have to identify which harness fits my cat. I do not go through this entire process, do I? I understand it might be a little stressful. However, once I identify which harness works best, I can wait a few days before I start the training. Or no? Should I stagger the try-on sessions?

[@kittycatgoadventures]

You don’t want to actually put the harness on your cat until you’ve done the first few training steps. Actually putting it on doesn’t come until later. It’s okay if the harness isn’t fitted properly in the beginning. You just want to make sure you measure your cat and check the harness size guide to make sure you order the correct size. It will probably need some adjusting to get it fitted, but that comes later once you’ve gotten to the step when you start fastening buckles and putting it on. I don’t recommend doing that at the beginning because you can create a negative association with the harness, making the training process more difficult.

[@francesca-loves-2-hike]

Willow is making progress with her harness. Our problem now is that she tends to panic and run away when the treat is gone and I can’t catch her to release the harness. So we’re having trouble with the “walking around and being active with the harness on” phase. I have to buckle it for it to stay on, but when she runs away in a panic, we can’t get it off! Any suggestions? Willow and I thank you in advance.

[@kittycatgoadventures]

You might need to back up and repeat the previous training step(s) to get her more comfortable with the harness touching her and/or attaching just one buckle before putting it on completely. If you need further help, I have a full harness, leash, and outdoor training course where you can ask questions, submit videos for feedback, and get all the personalized help you need! 😸

[@Yanayofficial]

Thank you 🙌🙌

[@kittycatgoadventures]

You're very welcome! I'm glad you found the video helpful!

[@hazellynn36]

What do you feed your cat/how do you take care of their coat? Their fur is so shiny!

[@kittycatgoadventures]

He eats a canned food diet - a mixture of Fancy Feast, Friskies, and Wellness. I don’t do anything special for his coat. Sampson appreciates your compliment on his fur! 😻

[@katiecharlesworth296]

Thanks so much! Do you think I can train my 6 year old cat?

[@kittycatgoadventures]

Absolutely! It’s never too late to get started. One of my cats, who is 11, just started his harness training earlier this year and is doing great! He loves backyard adventures!

[@terryallen7356]

How old should the cat be when you start harness training? We just opened the door to a kitty about 2.5 months old. Thanks.

[@kittycatgoadventures]

There’s no specific age. You can start training at any time

[@aeroorangegacha]

Hey, how long did the introductory steps take before you can get the harness on them? I know it is different for each cat but it would be helpful. Thanks!

[@kittycatgoadventures]

Unfortunately there’s not a straightforward answer to that question. It depends on several things - like you said, it’s different for every cat. Some cats take just a couple days for the introductory steps, while others can take a couple weeks or even longer depending on how tolerant they are of being touched and handled and how consistent the human is with training. If you have a cat who is already very comfortable with being touched and handled and has a naturally confident personality and you are consistent with training, then the intro steps should take just a couple days each I’d say.

[@aeroorangegacha]

@@kittycatgoadventures Thanks! My cat is meh, she likes being touched but since she is a kitten she likes to attack my arm too lol

[@Fruityb4e]

i have 2 cats , aand one is so goo with it , the other needs more training hahah thanks for this vid !

[@Plarochean]

This video was so helpful!! I just got a kitten two weeks ago; she’s 10 weeks old and I’m new at having a pet. Do you have a brand that you recommend? Or, like, the style? I got a strap style harness for her, but most vids I’ve seen have a similar harness style to yours. Do you feel like that’s an easier style for cats to get used to? Anyways, thanks in advance, and thanks again for the video.

[@kittycatgoadventures]

I use a few different harnesses, depending on which of my cats I’m taking out. I really like the Adventure Kitty harness by RCPets, the Sleepypod Martingale harness, the Cat School harness, and the Come with Me Kitty harness. It’s hard to recommend a specific harness to someone because what works best for one cat might not be the best option for another. They have different body shapes and preferences, just like we do. So sometimes you have to try a few different harnesses to find the one that works best for you and your cat. That being said, there are harnesses that are better than others. For example, I would definitely avoid the step-in style harnesses that have just one strap that goes across the cat’s shoulder blades. Those are the easiest for a cat to slip out of. You can check out this article on my website for more info about the different harness styles - kittycatgo.com/how-to-pick-out-a-cat-harness/

[@Plarochean]

@@kittycatgoadventures thank you so much!!

[@Plarochean]

I forgot to tell you I got her in the harness like two days later!!!

[@kittycatgoadventures]

@@Plarocheanyay, that’s so awesome!!!

[@salkinfamilychiropractic3142]

i want to get a kitten and puppy at the same time. is it easier to get the harness on the kitten quicker than if the cat is older?

[@kittycatgoadventures]

It really depends on the cat. I’ve trained both kittens and senior cats with no problems. Kittens are generally more accepting of new things though

[@AmaemiSlimes]

What treaters did you use and where did you get it?

[@kittycatgoadventures]

I use a mix of dry treats - I just mix it up and always have a hodge podge of different things in my treat pouch. And then the squeezie treats I use are usually Catit Creamies

[@KLP99]

I bought a GPS tracker for my cat and a harness to go with it and I put the harness on and the GPS tracker and off. He went without a care in the world. Am I lucky or what?

[@kittycatgoadventures]

That’s awesome! There are definitely cats who don’t require much training, if any at all. One of mine was like that too. It is pretty lucky!

[@gachamooncraft]

What if the cat doesn’t like to eat treats? Edit; my cat doesn’t eat treats so will training her harder or take a longer time to help her get used to the harness?

[@kittycatgoadventures]

Treats definitely make training easier. It might be harder to reinforce things without them, but it’s not impossible. Play, catnip, or praise can work as a reward with training sometimes. Have you experimented with different treats? Like the squeezie treats (Churus, for example)? Also what is your cat’s feeding schedule? Are they free fed?

[@gachamooncraft]

@@kittycatgoadventures yes, I have my cat unfortunately is the picky type with treats, I haven’t found the right one yet. She is free to feed whenever she gets hungry, but using catnip to help her get use to the harness is definitely helpful.😁

[@kittycatgoadventures]

when a cat is free fed, it is a lot harder to find a treat they're willing to "work" for. Treats just don't have as much value when the cat has access to food whenever they want. If you want to increase your cat's food/treat motivation, switching to scheduled meals will definitely help!

[@Severinus17]

How can I associate the harness with something positive if my cat doesn’t like treats? I’ve tried almost every kind of treat but he just doesn’t want them, so I don’t know what to do

[@kittycatgoadventures]

You can use catnip or anything your cat does like - a favorite toy, their regular food, etc. Do you feed your cat portioned and scheduled meals, or do they free feed (meaning they have access to a bowl of food at all times)? Cats who free feed tend to be less food motivated. If you don’t already feed scheduled meals, I’d recommend making the switch. There are many reasons to do so, but increasing your cat’s food motivation is one of them.

[@Severinus17]

Thank you! He does have a favorite toy, and he likes being brushed a lot so maybe I will incorporate that and see if it works. As for the feeding, we do free feed our cats and make sure they always have food available, but we only do that with dry food, their wet food is scheduled. I understand that doing this makes them less food motivated, but our other cat does like treats, and gets motivated by them, so I think it’s an individual difference rather than a food routine issue. They’re both healthy this way, so I don’t want to unnecessarily change their routine, especially because the other cat is very sensitive to these kind of changes and I want to keep him happy :)

[@kittycatgoadventures]

@@Severinus17 if they get wet food, you can also use that for training. Just put it on a spoon and give little bites as rewards. If you haven’t tried the squeezie treats before, those are very similar to wet food and might work well

[@DC-ef8op]

My cat was fine going outside and now she is 1.5 and every time I pick her up now she growls and hisses like she is going to bite me. She does not want to go back I. But I have to get back to work. I think she now associates me picking her up as a negative that she has to go in. Help!

[@kittycatgoadventures]

This is a common reaction when cats are overstimulated. I would recommend backpack training her - that way you can ask her to get in her backpack when it’s time to go inside instead of picking her up yourself.

[@DC-ef8op]

@ thank you so much I will try it I don’t want our bond to be messed up 😻😻😻

[@and86rea19]

very interesting video! A question. Initially my kitten (about 4 months old) accepted the harness quite well, without showing any signs of stress(she played with her toys with the harness on, as if she not wearing it), but I made the mistake of put it on her for too long(too soon), and now she refuse wearing it. what can i do?

[@kittycatgoadventures]

You can start the training process over. The first steps don’t involve putting the harness on, so you can go back to those beginning steps again. If that doesn’t work, you could try it with a different harness

[@and86rea19]

@@kittycatgoadventures ok, I'm already trying to resume training in small steps, and it seems to be working. I'll soon have to change the harness, because it's a very small size for little kittens, it's starting to fit her tight, maybe with a larger size she accept it easier. Thank you for the answer!

[@PaulPaul-qv3vw]

Max goi ti cerca.,

[@PaulPaul-qv3vw]

​@@and86rea19come Mai non gli scrivi più?

[@and86rea19]

@@PaulPaul-qv3vw chi sei?

[@jonileviness9706]

Our cat isn't food oriented and not very touch tolerant. Any suggestions?

[@kittycatgoadventures]

@@jonileviness9706 You can try subbing food/treats for something else your cat likes - like maybe play. But there are also things you can do to increase your cat’s food motivation too. If they are free-fed, that can greatly decrease food motivation. Switching to scheduled, portioned meals instead can help a lot. It could also be that you just haven’t found the right treat. If you haven’t already tried squeezie treats, like Churu or a similar brand, I’d recommend that. Wet/canned food is great for training too. There are absolutely steps you can take to work on your cat’s touch tolerance as well (like step 2 in the video), but you’d first need to find a reward you can use for the training.

[@jonileviness9706]

Thank you!​@@kittycatgoadventures

[@SoranovaArt]

My cat must really trust me I tried the harness on her without knowing to do the treat association (checking to see if I had the right size)and she just sat there and let me. 💀 she didn’t fight me or anything though I normally can pet her stomach and all.

[@kittycatgoadventures]

That’s awesome! Yeah, some cats don’t mind the harness, so a full training plan isn’t required. It just depends on the cat. It sure is nice though when they take to it with no issues!

[@UdoADHD]

Everytime I put harness on with or without leash she flops and becomes super depressed

[@kittycatgoadventures]

Have you followed all the training steps in the video?

[@Netbase2000]

Playing with the harness okay too?

[@kittycatgoadventures]

Yes! Playing with your cat while they’re wearing their harness is always a good thing. Anything you can do to encourage them to be active and moving around while wearing it.

[@Netbase2000]

@@kittycatgoadventures Sorry I mean in training before. Instead of treats

[@kittycatgoadventures]

@@Netbase2000 you can certainly try it! Play as a reward can work for some cats, but it’s generally not as effective as treats. It can distract from the training

[@Cercropix]

Thank you for this! I’m planning on harness training my kitten crow, and hes very playful, this helped a lot

[@kittycatgoadventures]

@@Cercropix thanks for watching!

[@yohanbacha]

My cat is too wild to try any of these methods. She just doesn’t wanna be touched. Help

[@kittycatgoadventures]

Sounds like you’ll need to work on acclimating her to your touch before you start harness training. To do this, you start with short touches to less sensitive areas - like her back and sides and top of her head. Click and reward with each touch, gradually increasing the amount of time you touch her as she becomes more accepting. Then eventually work towards longer pets or strokes down her back and sides and chest - all the ares you would need to touch to be able to put a harness on

[@yuni5393]

​@@kittycatgoadventuresit seems to me that the cat has a disease associated with the nervous system. my cat has hypersthesia and before treatment, any touch caused him pain and unpleasant sensations. (I apologize for the mistake, I used a translator)

[@kittycatgoadventures]

​@@yuni5393 A disease is definitely possible, and if that's suspected, the cat should definitely see the vet. But some cats just don't like to be touched and require training or counter-conditioning to get them used to it. I volunteer training and working with cats at a local shelter and there was a cat who didn't like to be touched. After a couple weeks of touch training with him, he now excitedly accepts and asks for pets.

[@pprraapparra]

Interesting, thank you! Ever since my neighboorhood suddenly became hostile towards cats being outdoor and demanding them to be kept inside of a cage, I start considering harness to give my cat an opportunity of attended outdoor time.

[@kittycatgoadventures]

Harness training is an excellent way to allow your cat to safely explore the great outdoors!

[@kurtreber9813]

I cant even get the harness on, much less train. Theyre so compicated for the uninitiated :(

[@kittycatgoadventures]

There are a few steps to the training process before you ever even try putting the harness on your cat. Have you tried the steps in the video?

[@kurtreber9813]

@@kittycatgoadventures the cat has been introduced to the harness. Yes

[@kittycatgoadventures]

@@kurtreber9813 are you able to place it on their back without fastening?

[@katymerling4787]

My 8 year old cat is doing well on this approach. She now asks for her harness because she loves the treat she gets. She's not 100% comfortable walking around in the harness yet but we'll get there!

[@kittycatgoadventures]

@@katymerling4787 yay, that’s awesome!! Keep me updated!

[@82Ghost28]

Yeah I watched this whole damn thing just to see how this thing goes on . Like... I'm not asking Cruella D'evil if she'll let me put it on her, it's going to happen . If you would have shown me which arm goes in which hole like this is... Impossible with no picture coming with the harness

[@kittycatgoadventures]

There are so many different types of harnesses - the different styles are put on in different ways. I’d suggest looking up your specific harness and seeing if you can find a video that demonstrates how to put it on. Which kind do you have?

[@catharinamariatheresia1626]

Oh boy. I did it all wrong. What should I do now? He walked around like a drunken cat for half an hour. He was not a happy cat. Now I saw your video. Can I still undo it?

[@kittycatgoadventures]

Yes! Just start over following the steps in the video, and you should be good to go!

[@catharinamariatheresia1626]

@@kittycatgoadventuresI will definitely do that and also follow your KZbin channel ❤ My cat is a sweet Lynx Point Siamese (a former stray cat), that is very forgiving and trustworthy of me. So we already started! I just wanted to go too fast. 😊 We can do this! I have the feeling he doesn’t like fabric on his back as he bends down and it seems like he even had a sort of a trauma so I need him to take the lead 😊❤

[@deawinter]

Can confirm - I adopted an adult cat who hated harnesses and I didn’t get it right immediately either. I got there eventually but you will have to be very patient if they had negative experiences in the past! I was waiting for the cat to show no fear or discomfort at all at the concept of the harness. This took literally weeks of exposure and treats, just to give you a sense of the timeline. But it will come.

[@kittycatgoadventures]

@@deawinter glad to hear you and your kitty have found success!! 🎉

[@mikeg4691]

I skipped this step and now my cat hates me

[@kittycatgoadventures]

Oh no! 🙀 It’s not too late to try again!