[shlanon]

I took Stormy outside in her harness and leash today. She walked around our apartment breezeway and even made it out to the steps. I'm hoping that she gets a little more mental stimulation from getting to be outside and that eventually I can take her for walks. For now she seems content to go very slowly and sniff everything around her.
I want to do the same with Justin. However, both the harnesses I bought were "one size fits all" and one size does NOT fit Justin. It is rigged with some wire to work and I have tried this on him indoors but I really need a "real" harness. There are some at the local pet store that come in different sizes. I'm sure a small dog type would work. They have different measurements on them (I glanced today). How should I measure Justin and figure out what size harness he will need? I don't want him getting jealous that Stormy gets to go outside and he doesn't. :wink: I'm also sort of hoping that if they associate going outside with having their harness on, they won't rush the door (although they don't do that *too* often now anyway).

 

[Lisa 216]

How big is Justin? I use a small dog harness on Snickers -- he's about 14 lbs. (down from 19 8O ). It fits pretty well, though I need to tighten it up a bit now that he's trimmer.

You could measure aroung his "waist" and his neck to get an idea of size. However, the small dog size should be fine unless he's a smaller cat.

I hated the cat harness I had. Like yours, it was one size fits all. Mine was a piece of junk. The dog harness is much better quality.

 

[shlanon]

He weighs about 15 lbs right now... ...we're trying to bring that down again. Stormy only weighs 10 lbs and the one size fits all harness has very little room to spare on her. It seems to work okay...I will check it out against the other harnesses and if the others seem to be built much better I will maybe get her another one too.
The dog harnesses come in various sizes and I think they have measurements on them (I need to look again)...I'm hoping maybe the people at the pet store can help me and if need be, let me exchange the harness for another one if the one I get doesn't fit.

 

[coaster]

I bought the very smallest dog harness and that works fine. The size is 14 inches. It's the "H" type harness. (I think the "figure 8" harness is too easy to get out of.) But you can measure your cat around the chest, and the harness size corresponds to the chest measurement. If you have a very petite cat, there are ferret harnesses available.

 

[Lisa 216]

Wow, ferret harnesses? I can't even imagine how a ferret would look on a leash!! 8O :lol:

I agree with Tim, the figure 8 harnesses look uncomfortable and slip off too easily. The small dog size sounds like it should work for you.

 

[shlanon]

Does anyone have pictures of a figure eight and/or an H harness so I can know what they look like? I searched but didn't find much. Did find this though...a ferret in a harness!
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... &N=0&Nty=1

 

[Lisa 216]

That ferret in a harness...I can't tell you how funny that is to me. :lol: **rolls on floor laughing**

Sorry if there are any ferret owners here.

Shlanon, several months ago someone ran a thread on harnesses and posted photos of the different types. Have you tried doing a search of the forum?

I'll try to describe them: the figure 8 looks like an 8 -- it is two circles touching each other (there is a math term for that **scratches head**).

The "H" type has two adjustable straps with clips -- one going around the body and one that goes around the neck. These are connected by two straight straps. One lies on the cat's back, and the other on the chest and stomach.

 

[DesnBaby]

http://www.catforum.com/viewtopic.php?t ... =harnesses
http://www.catforum.com/viewtopic.php?t ... =harnesses

 

[fbodgrl]

I use a small dog harness and it works on all my kittes varying weights.