I have been saying for years, I was going to get a harness for Shadow, because he wanted to go outside so bad.

A little history here. Shadow is kind of retarded, he doesn't do a lot of what other cats do naturally. He can't climb a tree, he doesn't know what catnip is, and he likes to play like a dog. We can't pet him like a kitty either, but he loves his head scratched. His feet have never touched the ground here until recently.

I bought a small dog harness, finally found one small enough, and came home and put it on him. He was so funny, he sat there and looked at me like I had knocked the wind out of him, then he just fell over to the side. He wouldn't move!

So I picked him up and put him on his feet, and he started high stepping backwards, with his back all humped up. If looks could kill, I probably wouldn't be here today.

After backing up to the coffee table and not being able to back anymore, he started trying to walk forward. He was HIGH stepping, trying to step out of that harness.

Actually, he took it much better than I thought he would, so I decided to go ahead and take him out for a walk.

He loved it and he walked all over the yard. I have a dog named Keisha and you should have seen us. At one point, Keisha was in the front, with Shadow behind her and me with the leash behind Shadow. Then Keisha fell in behind me as Shadow was leading the way. He found a patch of grass he liked and just rolled and rolled. Then with Shadow on his own, we made our way back to the door. All in all it was a good experience and a good day. Now when I pick up the harness and ask him if he wants to go outside, he's all for it!!! My other cat Miss Dula, is another story!

Copyright © Darlene Reed
February 21, 2003