it is SO good to read all these threads. ours are house cats and we do want to get the (small) garden cat proofed when I know what is happening with my job.

I have always said to OH that we should get harnesses and he was mortified, thinking everyone would laugh at us! My argument was - who cares what people think - the more people who do it, the more 'normal' it becomes. And with the number of posters going up for missing cats, more people might think about it. just sent him a mail with some of the comments. I will have to work on him. Syd and Cass would love it!

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Aww how sweet!! hehe i suppose it is not for all cats, but your cat sounds like he is great being outside

Really bonnie cat! thanks for attaching the picture it is great seeing them, i know i would have that comfort knowing he is OK.

Glad to hear some of the comments will maybe change your OH's mind, it is right though, the more people do it, the more it will be accepted to. We will prob just do it in the garden at first. And see how he gets on.

Thanks everyone

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Hi Elaine,

I know it's worrying, but Jinxy will love it outside.

I wish Piglet would walk on a harness, but he's totallya house cat and won't even consider being out of here.
He does sit on my balcony and watch the birds, and I often leave the balcony door open when I'm out for an hour, and I drive in to see him laid in the sun and being a nosey neighbour!
But that's as far as he will go!

I did try a harness years ago, but he sat stiff as a post and looked at me with half closed eyes, as if to say " You can Forget it....."

Hope u have better luck!! xx

Glad to hear some of the comments will maybe change your OH's mind, it is right though, the more people do it, the more it will be accepted to. We will prob just do it in the garden at first. And see how he gets on.

Thanks everyone [/QUOTE]

called OH to make sure he had received email and he thought I was joking about the harnesses! when he stopped laughing and realised i was serious, he again said how silly we would look. Who cares - we are not children and other people's opinions shouldnt matter - looks like i am going to have a battle - think i might have to go home via PAH and pick up 2 and just wear him down

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Hiya Keeley

I hope he will like it, lol at Piglet though, he is obviously just happy to lay in the sunshine eh, not go to far away, i would love it if Jinxy was like that, i would feel more confident, but i really think he wants to go outdoors, he is sniffing at the window at the moment (it tilts from the top a bit) and jumps up a bit, he would not be able to fit up there to get out thankfully though. x

called OH to make sure he had received email and he thought I was joking about the harnesses! when he stopped laughing and realised i was serious, he again said how silly we would look. Who cares - we are not children and other people's opinions shouldnt matter - looks like i am going to have a battle - think i might have to go home via PAH and pick up 2 and just wear him down [/QUOTE]

Good luck in wearing him down lol!! hope he comes round to the idea, maybe when he see's your cats outside, he will think they are a good idea
x

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You will have better luck aswell with Jinxy still being young.

He might like it if it means getting out! xx

Piggy was much braver when he was Jinxy's age.

This is a picture of him when he was about 1 yr old....I was leaning out of my front rom window and he was above my bedroom window!

I was scared stiff!!!

But, he doesn't like to venture now!
keeleys discs 227.jpg

I took my kitten milly out in a harness to see how she reacted to the outdoors and she loved it ! So I kept taking her outside with the harness on untill I convinced my OH to let her out alone. But I do know where your comming from, all I kept thinking was "omg my neighbors are going to think im mad" but no one ever said anything.

Although my OH was terrified to let her go outside herself as she's very adventerous, took me a month to convince him she would be fine lol

Now she gets out (only when were in because we like to leave the window open for her) everyday and she loves it. We keep her inside at night though.

Eeekk!! god i would have been scared stiff to, looks really bonnie where you live!.

I think we would be the same to, with only letting him out when we are home, the only thing that worries me is if we need to go out unexpectedly and he meows to get in. But we will see how it goes with the harness

Thanks

x

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You know what really works with milly.

Shes the greedyest cat even and if shes outside when i need to go out, ill shout her name and shake her whiskas treat box haha works everytime :P