Put harness on cat indoors, instant comedy. Cat tried to back out of the harness, but it was strapped to him! lol Left harness on cat for several hours to try and acclimate him to it. Didn't really work.
Decided, WTH, let's take the cat outside! He seems ready!
Morgan got a bag full of snacks, I put on a heavy coat, and we put the leash on Gizmo. First stop, our front step. He looked scared, wanted to go back in side. That's a good sign right?
Then we decided to take him down to the grass behind our apartment building. When I picked him up and carried him down the stairs he was trembling.
Got downstairs and put Gizmo down on the ground. This was his first time outside in over a year! Woohoo! After a couple awkward encounters with the end of the leash, Gizmo and I finally set off down the sidewalk. We were walking! This was it!
Morgan and her friend Grace stayed behind about 30 yards and were chatting, when I heard Morgan yell, "Bike!"
I could see the bicyclist coming, so I moved Gizmo out of his path, but not too far. I thought, "Gizmo will see the bicyclist and be scared, but then he'll get over it, and that will be one more step toward him being a happy leash cat!"
When the bicycle was upon us, Gizmo tensed, though he couldn't see what was coming.
When the bicycle flew past, Gizmo went into another dimension of speed and violence. He was like the Flash. One moment he was sitting in front of me, wide eyed, the next he was gone!
When I turned around, he was helicoptering at the end of the leash three feet off the ground! Oh my!
When he landed, he sprinted in a wide arc around me, then leapt again at the end of the leash. Except this time, magic happened.
Time slowed down, and as he leaped into the air he turned toward me, ducked his head, and presto, the harness came off!
Ta-Da!
And then Gizmo bolted.
This is when my silly fantasy turned into the beginning of a nightmare. Gizmo was loose, terrified, and running wild at an apartment complex where coyotes roam.
Fortunately, Gizmo is a cat who wants to be comforted, and he trusts us. He didn't run far before turning and meowing at us all plaintively. Then he hid in some bushes and waited for us to come get him.
We gathered him up, cooed at him, told him he was good, and took him home.
So after one cat walk, I have come up with two conclusions. One, it's freaking dangerous. Anything that moves fast will freak your cat out. And if your cat freaks out, he can and probably will get loose. The key is to walk your cat in a space without much traffic, and where you can see problems approaching before they're right on top of you.
And two, it's great exercise! I haven't seen Gizmo move like that...ever! He burned some serious carbs, and maybe one of his lives. We're about to take him for his second walk. Hopefully we will all live to tell about it.
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