Thread: Training Maine coons on a leash?

Originally Posted by Roy Snell

Walking an indoor cat on a leash outdoors may make the cat less afraid of the outdoors and more likely to escape through an open door, then get lost, hit by a car, or attacked by a feral cat or other animals.

From my experience, I believe this warning overlooks the positives of the cat being more familiar with your house and yard in case they do get out--and it is pretty likely that at some point they might make it out. It does seem true that taking your cats outside on a leash will probably get them into the habit of wanting go out with you, but many cats want to outside anyway. Once a cat has been outside under your control several times, they will be better able to cope if they do get out. Two of our male MC kittens have desperately wanted to get outside, and both have succeeded despite our efforts to prevent this (one for example, jumped onto my back and them launched himself out the cracked open door while I was bent over bringing in a dog, thinking I had the doorway blocked). The only one of our current four that goes outside normally is a female, and I feel that she is much better prepared should she get outside. She knows the yard and house well, and she isn't so desperate to get out because she does go out some. I often have her out in the yard with me, unleashed (though wearing harness w/tag). I am now quite confident in how she will behave. One of the male's that got out repeatedly was a nightmare the first few times (the entire family chasing him all over the yard). We eventually allowed him out on a leash and I believe it helped reduce his obsession with trying to get out (and he was much calmer when he was out).