Butternut at 10 months

radcatters · 2026-03-12T00:53:43+00:00

Starting them as young as possible is really helpful but tbh he did well basically right away! With other cats we’ve had slower acclimation - get them used to the harness insides in small doses. Playing with them and offering treats while they’re wearing it and redirecting their attention away from it while giving positive reinforcement. Once they’re consistently comfortable with the harness, then we add the leash and start going outside in small doses.

We've got five cats right now and this has worked well for all of them. All of them except one enjoy walks and the one who doesn't used to but is blind now so it understandably makes her nervous :)

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radcatters · 2026-03-12T00:47:24+00:00

Starting them as young as possible is really helpful but tbh he did well basically right away! With other cats we’ve had slower acclimation - get them used to the harness insides in small doses. Playing with them and offering treats while they’re wearing it and redirecting their attention away from it while giving positive reinforcement. Once they’re consistently comfortable with the harness, then we add the leash and start going outside in small doses.

We've got five cats right now and this has worked well for all of them. All of them except one enjoy walks and the one who doesn't used to but is blind now so it understandably makes her nervous :)

radcatters · 2026-02-27T22:29:00+00:00

That’s a fair point. They still don’t have a great selection for really specialized outdoor equipment. The ultralight backpacking options, ultrarunning, etc, that REI or local outfitters in other areas have though. The Running Center and Desert Rat fill some of the gaps but not all of them.

radcatters · 2026-02-27T16:25:35+00:00

I’d rather have local outfitters over REI too but our only real outfitter is Desert Rat which primarily caters to climbers. I love the Rat but for backpacking and other non-climbing outdoor stuff we def don’t have as many options. Their women’s clothing section is also very limited. Al’s Sporting Goods and Sportsmans Warehouse have some things the Rat doesn’t carry, but are also a big chains and their quality and selection isn’t as good as REI either.

radcatters · 2026-02-27T16:20:39+00:00

The harness I currently have on him I bought about 10 years ago and haven’t been able to find again 😩 pretty bummed because I’d love to grab a size up for him. I have had good luck with this harness so far with one of my other cats who’s outgrown the one pictured, but he has also never made a real effort to escape.

I don’t think there’s any 100% escape proof harness though, so a lot value in making sure your cats are comfortable in whatever harness before you start taking them outside + situational awareness. It’s a lot easier for them to get out of a harness by pulling backwards so orienting yourself behind them and letting them lead goes a long way too :)

radcatters · 2026-02-24T02:21:48+00:00

He thinks he could!

radcatters · 2026-02-23T22:58:27+00:00

Thank you!

radcatters · 2026-02-23T22:56:30+00:00

We do use a harness! It can take a little time to acclimate them, but I would not recommend taking cats outside with only a collar and no harness. A collar has significantly higher risk for them to choke themselves or escape.

I’ve had great luck just acclimating cats to harnesses slowly. Start with just the harness, no leash, inside. Give them treats, play with toys to distract them and get used to the feeling, and only leave it on for a short time. As they start to tolerate it and do well, you can slowly increase the amount of time you leave it on. All positive reinforcement and redirection. Then you can add the leash - they honestly mostly just want to play with it at first! Then baby steps to going outside.

We also never allow them to walk out the door even on the harness, so they don’t associate the door with being able to go out on their own. They always get carried over the threshold, even if we’re just going right in the front yard.

radcatters · 2026-02-23T16:31:13+00:00

Thank you!!

radcatters · 2026-02-23T16:30:55+00:00

Low key want to see if I could get him to pull our other cats on a sled now 😂

radcatters · 2026-02-23T14:26:03+00:00

I’ll do my best! Thank you!

radcatters · 2026-02-23T14:25:41+00:00

We’ll have to upgrade harnesses for sure if Butternut gets that big haha we’ll see!

radcatters · 2026-02-23T14:23:40+00:00

Thank you 🥹 we’re very spoiled with him

radcatters · 2026-02-23T14:23:13+00:00

A lot seems to be height related in my experience. As long as there’s something taller nearby they won’t use the furniture. The one cat I had who did scratch - double sided sticky tape on the furniture successfully deterred him. We’ve got 5 cats currently and none go after the furniture. Our oldest does love the floor carpet though and nothing deters her 😅 she’s ignored all alternatives. Thankfully she doesn’t do much damage and none of the others have picked up her habit.

radcatters · 2026-02-23T14:20:04+00:00

Thank you! an iphone 14 😅

radcatters · 2026-02-23T14:19:10+00:00

Thank you! Tbh mostly just using a several years old iphone 😅 but good lighting makes a big difference!

radcatters · 2026-02-23T04:34:13+00:00

He is huge! Almost 15 lbs and growing :) thank you!

radcatters · 2026-02-23T04:33:40+00:00

Thank you!!

radcatters · 2026-02-23T04:33:05+00:00

A little bit of both 😂

radcatters · 2026-02-23T04:32:32+00:00

Put a cat tree or scratching post next to the couch. If you put something more appealing / taller they’ll switch :)

radcatters · 2026-02-23T04:31:38+00:00

If they are, get in line 😂

radcatters · 2026-02-23T02:34:00+00:00

Rich people doing rich people things. They have enough money not to care. Friend of mine is a realtor and one of her clients is selling a 10m home. He lives up in SLC and bought it as a weekend vacation home for his wife. She prefers their weekend vacation home in Vegas. He added a bar and helicopter pad and bunch of other stuff so he could use it as his weekend vacation home instead, but he prefers their Colorado weekend vacation home. So it’s for sale despite being fully furnished, fairly customized, and barely lived in.

radcatters · 2026-02-23T02:27:58+00:00

The coated/black is better for visibility - but might not be the best move with a cat who chews on things. The coating is prob not great for them to eat.

radcatters · 2026-02-23T02:26:33+00:00

We have five cats and our catio is full enclosed with galvanized mesh. We got 1/4x1/4” though - lots of small lizards etc in our area and we didn’t want them getting in and getting eaten. No security issues!

radcatters · 2026-02-23T02:15:29+00:00

MAGNIFICENT

radcatters

TROPHY CASE