How to walk a cat on a leash

So Dea and I have a cat, Bonzai, who enjoys going for walks on a leash. I take him for a walk a few days a week, and he pretty much follows me along like a typical dog might. The occasional stop to eat some grass is the biggest difference.

Inevitably, someone will come up and give a "Wow, that's so cute, how did you get him(or is it her? Oh him) to do that? I tried to get my cat to do that but he won't." I've gotten pretty good at answering this question by now, so I figured I'd share my knowledge with the internet in the hopes someone else finds it useful.

Step 1: Get him comfortable with a harness
A lot of people say that their cat just lays down as soon as they try to do anything. Often a cat will be very uncomfortable the first time he wears a harness, and after trying to get it off for 30 secs will just sit down and cry. I've found, though, that if you just let them wear the harness around the house for a few hours, they'll quit their protest and eventually start ignoring it. Don't worry about putting a leash on the harness yet. Do watch, though, that they don't get the harness half off, half strangling them. If they're getting out of it, it isn't tight enough yet. I know if seems cruel, but all that fur actually hides a very skinny neck underneath, so get it on securely. Once the cat is at the point where he'll walk around for a couple hours in his harness without trying to get it off...

Step 2: Going outside
Most cats want to go outside most of the time. Even if they've never been outside before, they're curious, and curiosity did something to the cat... If your cat doesn't immediately try to run out the door when you open it, you'll have to try your luck jumping to step 3. Basically, just open the door (while holding the leash), and let the cat out. Then try to keep up with him as he runs into the nearest bush. Then go sit next to him and pet him and tell him how good he's being on his leash. After a few minutes, take him inside and immediately take off the harness. After a little while, repeat. Each time you take him out, try to hold him back a little more with the leash, but always let the cat get to somewhere it wants to go (bush, under the BBQ, under a chair). Your objective is to teach the cat that you control the speed, but the cat can pick the location. (We'll re-educate the second part later.)

Step 3: New places
The next step is to teach the cat that these little walks can go beyond the nearest bush. If the cat is curious enough to keep walking around, just follow him. If he prefers to sit under a tree, try picking him up and walking over to your neighbour's yard (the neighbour without the second amendment bumpersticker on his pick-up). Put him down close to another spot he'll like: maybe another bush, or a pick-up. Since he knows he gets to pick where you go, he'll go over and sit under the new bush for a while. Give him praise and sit with him for a while, but then pick him up and walk somewhere else. Put him down a little farther from a new safe spot, and let him walk again. You should slow him down with the leash so he's not running into the bush, but just walking to it. Eventually you should be taking him to a large park, and put him down in the middle of a field, nowhere close to any bushes. When he gets to the point where he's comfortable just walking around without heading towards the nearest bush:

Step 4: You're to boss
So far we've been teaching him that when we go outside, you're going to follow him around, and carry him to interesting places. Maybe you're happy with this indentured servitude. I'm not. I usually have somewhere I want to go, maybe to pick up the mail, or drop off the rent cheque. The next step is probably the hardest. You have to have to be more stubborn than the cat. What! That's impossible you say! We'll there's a reason you don't see many cats going for walks on leashes. You didn't think this would be easy, did you?
When you put him down, start walking along the sidewalk, perpendicular to the nearest bush. The cat will head to the bush, but gently pull on the leash, so he ends up going about 45 degrees between the bush and you. Slowly teach him that the leash will pull him along next to the bushes, and that he'll have to follow you before he can hide under that tree. Eventually the cat will start protesting. Gentle pulls will be ignored, and the cat will start sitting down when he doesn't get what he wants. Any time the hissy fit starts, pick him up, carry him a few yards, and try again. Maybe you can occasionally let him have a few seconds in a bush to gain his trust. But eventually you want him to be following about 20 degrees behind you, pulling towards the bush, but keeping up with you. Endless praise should ensue when the cat is cooperating. A quick "come here" followed shortly by a firmer pull on the leash will teach him that ignoring your commands in uncomfortable. Soon (or at least eventually) he'll get used to the idea of you being in charge, and now:

Finally: Show him off
Once the cat's will breaks and he's willing to follow you, it's time to enjoy it. Initially he'll be leary of busy sidewalks and parks. Maybe cars spook him too. But with time he'll learn to trust your path choices, and might even enjoy the extra attention from all the wooed passer-bys. Eventually you'll be getting asked "How'd you teach him to do that?" and suddenly this blog will explode with traffic. Spread the gossip everyone...


Pitfalls:
1. Dogs. I usually find I see the dog before they see each other. Immediately pick up the cat and go somewhere else. Our cat lives with a dog, and he's still scared of every new dog he sees. Maybe with time he'll enjoy meeting them, but they usually bark their heads off when the see the cat, so it's hard for them to get along. Sorry, Bonzai, no dog park for a while...
2. Birds, Squirrels, other prey. This is usually more entertaining than anything else, but sometimes the cat forgets he's on a leash and instinct takes over. He sneaks up on his prey, slowly, step by step, and then leaps at it with a huge bound which ends up knocking him flat on his back with the leash wrapped around his head.
3. Packs of Kids. Oddly enough, I've found most kids ARE polite enough to ask "May I pet him?" Unfortunately most don't wait for an answer before swooping in. Picking him up before the kids get there can let the whole situation be a little more controlled.


So, is there anything I missed. Sure there is. Tell me how lame I am for not dealing with thing XYZ. Or don't. What do I care?

TweedleDum