Taking cats out for 2 hours

Minky2Slice

Hi,

I need to get my 2 cats out of the house on Saturday for an hour and a half. I cant think of what to do with them as its not like a dog you can put on a leash and take to the park. Or can you??

I was thinking of getting them those cat harnesses and a leash and take them to the park to walk around. dont think they'd be very impressed having to wear the harnesses though!
Cant keep them in their carry boxes in the car as they'll be very cramped for an hour. also cant just let them loose somewhere in the park as they might get lost, mostly due to their nosey-ness!

Dont want to put them in kennels as I think it might upset them being in a cage and it'll only be for an hour and a half max, so not sure how much i'll get charged. Dont have any info about kennels.

can anyone suggest something obvious I havent thought about?!
ty

HappyMJ

I gather they are indoor cats... My cat follows me to the park. I'd put them on a leash if you think they might run off. It's only for an hour or two. Would the neighbours have them for a few hours?

Claire_Bear

How are they normally in the carry boxes? When I moved house I had to put my cat in the carrier and have her in the van for about 2 hours, I thought she'd be going mad but she handled it really well, as long as she knew I was there talking to her and giving her treats she didn't bat an eyelid, just sat and watched the world go by out of the windows. Normally you have to train a cat to walk using the harnesses, because at first it sort of throws them off balance and makes them feel vulnerable they'll do nothing but lie down and not go anywhere, it takes a few weeks of persuasion to get them to the stage where you could easily walk them around the park. Also what would happen if a dog that was offlead took too much of an interest in them? Is there not a friend/relative/neighbour close by who wouldn't mind putting a room aside for them for a couple of hours?

KiKi

Minky2Slice wrote: »

Hi,

I need to get my 2 cats out of the house on Saturday for an hour and a half. I cant think of what to do with them as its not like a dog you can put on a leash and take to the park. Or can you??

I was thinking of getting them those cat harnesses and a leash and take them to the park to walk around. dont think they'd be very impressed having to wear the harnesses though!
Cant keep them in their carry boxes in the car as they'll be very cramped for an hour. also cant just let them loose somewhere in the park as they might get lost, mostly due to their nosey-ness!

Dont want to put them in kennels as I think it might upset them being in a cage and it'll only be for an hour and a half max, so not sure how much i'll get charged. Dont have any info about kennels.

can anyone suggest something obvious I havent thought about?!
ty

Mine had leashes a couple of times. However, being in the park was incredibly scary for them - it's not like being in your back garden that you know. Our park is huge and they completely freaked out at being able to see so much and so far. They won't know the area, and if one runs off, you may never find them again.

Personally, if you need to get them out the house just for a short while, I would ask a friend, and just shut them in a room for an hour with food and a litter tray if necessary.

If there's no-one you can ask, then I'd put them in the car with a blanket and let them be there. No chance of escape or running off; no chance of getting lost; much less likely to be frightened. Make sure you leave tiny gaps in the window, though - although if they were mine, I'd be in the car with them, on my laptop or reading! I wouldn't leave them, but I'm a paranoid mum...!

But I definitely wouldn't take them to the park and try and do 'activities' with them! If you lose them, you'd never forgive yourself.

KiKi

Hobo17

I think they would far rather be in their carrier in the car, than in the park with strange sounds and smells.

PasturesNew

Ask a neighbour if they'll have them in their house for a couple of hours. I love cats and would willingly take in somebody's cats for a couple of hours, rather than having the poor things wondering what's going on.

All you'd need would be:
- cats in the carrier
- kittylitter/newspaper
- small tin of food, bowl, bit of milk
- box of chocs for the neighbour

Job's a good 'un.

cjmumto2

An hour and a half in a carrier is really not worth getting stressed about. Many cats do more than this easily. Just put them in the carriers somewhere safe and quiet ( a friends house for example) I would be wary of using the car if it is a warm/hot day even parked in the shade.

bagginslover

I wouldn't even bother asking a friend-imagine if your kitties freaked out and wrecked their room! My cats would be totally fine in their carrier for a few hours, they wouldn't like it too much of course, but they'd be fine.

Shepherd1

I have a large dog cage in my garden (was putting it in the shed when the cats discovered it) and my cats will only come out if they can get in the cage. When they go out I take their beds out and they spend ages in their just watching the world or sleeping in the sun, I leave the cage door open but they don't come out unless it's to go back into the house. If you have a garden you could maybe spend the two hours out their with them

juliebunny

Agree with the people here about having a friend cat sit or the car carrier idea. My cats were find in my car with me for a good hour when I was moving house.
I cat sat overnight for a friends very timid cat recently too. I kept her in a dog cage overnight so she felt more secure and couldn't find hidey holes in the spare bedroom.

Cryptically you havent said why you need to get them out?!!

Am guessing - hiding them from landlord (done this one except we forgot to hide the food bowl doh!!)
Builder or other workman coming round!

Good luck anyway.

pigpen

Dog crate in the shed, car or garage.. mine love the dog crate.. mind you they like the cat box too so lon a they don't go in the car.