Why does my cat go limp in a harness?
Cats often react to a harness by going limp or panicking when first introduced to it. This initial resistance makes it difficult to start harness training and prevents them from comfortably going on walks.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1having her wear a harness around the house while not doing anything specialDid this help you?
- 2getting her comfortable enough to wear it in the house for like an hour a day with play and treatsDid this help you?
- 3Positive reinforcement with treatsDid this help you?
- 4Keeping the brush nearby during cuddles to let the cat get used to itDid this help you?
- 5Slowly incorporating the brush into cuddle time while scratching with one hand and brushing with the otherDid this help you?
- 6Installing wall-mounted brushes for the cat to rub against themselvesDid this help you?
- 7keeping cats strictly on floor-level surfaces or traditional cat treesDid this help you?
- 8Building a catio for outdoor accessDid this help you?
- 9Using a pet stroller or backpack for secure outdoor viewingDid this help you?
- 10Limiting outdoor time strictly to a fenced backyardDid this help you?
- 11Trying again once a yearDid this help you?
- 12trying different types of collars like breakaway or elastic stretchy onesDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I cannot get him to wear a collar. He takes off the breakaway ones within 20 seconds and the elastic stretchy ones take him about 2 minutes.”source ↗
“I want to harness train my adult cats, is this possible?”source ↗
“Am I able to harness train them now they’re older or will this be too hard?”source ↗
“Though long and cute, he gets very scratchy whenever I try to brush him.”source ↗
“Normal cat brushes, soft glove brushes, even toothbrushes gently wet brushes (I hear it simulates parental grooming), he loathes them all.”source ↗
“I would love to try this with my girls but they don't like being off the floor unless it's a cat tree or cabinet.”source ↗
“my cat hated the harness and would go “limp” when I tried during our walks at the start”source ↗
“My void has made it very clear that he wants nothing to do with a harness or leash. I try again once a year. We have not been successful yet.”source ↗