Are you planning to travel with your cat? Or do you simply want to offer your cat more excersise, or to see more of the world instead of just sitting inside your house all day? Then you definitely need a harness. However which harness is really good for your Maine Coon? Maine Coon cats are pretty huge and you don´t want to hurt them, of course.
There are a variety of great Maine Coon harnesses, but the Kitty Holster Cat Harness might be the best of them all. What you need to make sure is that it has the right size for your Maine Coon cat. Otherwise your cat will be able to escape and this could cause serious trouble. Further you have to make sure that the harness is comfortable for you Maine Coon, which the Kitty Holster Cat Harness definitely is. If a harness isn´t comfortable, you will have problems to get your Maine Coon to get used to the harness and to the leash.
Before we talk about the best harnesses, there are a couple of things you should know before going outside with your Maine Coon. This article will show you everything you need to know if you want to go on an adventure with your cat.
Why Walking Your Maine Coon Is Great For Your Cat
You don´t even have to walk your cat. Just giving your Maine Coon cat the opportunity to explore your garden or to travel with you is such a great experience for any indoor cat. Most indoor cats simply do not get enough exercise which makes them lazy and often results in psychological problems (aggression, for example).
You can and should avoid this by offering enough possibilities to exercise. Walking your Maine Coon cat is a great way to do that.
Further, this is a mental exercise as well. At home your Maine Coon cat knows everything and is probably pretty curious when you bring something new into your house. However other than that it can become pretty boring to see the same things each and every day. The solution for that is playing with your cat often, getting a second cat (which you should have anyway), but you can also take your cat with you outside.
All the smells and things there are to explore outside will stimulate your Maine Coon cats mind and this will make your Maine Coon happy in the end. Just think about all the trees your Maine Coon can climb, eating grass, watching birds and so much more.
Why You Should Get A Harness And Not A Collar
A harness is perfect to walk your Maine Coon. Please don´t use a collar. Especially in the beginning, your Maine Coon might be a little bit nervous when being outside and if something unexpected happens, your Maine Coon could go seriously wild and try to escape from the leash.
If you are using a collar, this could hurt your cat at the neck. Maine Coon cats are pretty huge as you know, and they have enough power and weight to hurt themselves. This won´t happen with a harness though. Besides that, in most cases a harness is very comfortable and the Maine Coon gets used to it pretty quickly.
How To Train Your Maine Coon To Walk On A Leash
Maine Coons are pretty gentle and laid back, but many of them are a little bit shy when it comes to new people or new animals. Most of them need a little bit more time to trust the new situation. However, since they are such a laid back cat breed, they are the perfect cat to train to walk on a leash.
In fact, I wrote an entire guide on how to train your Maine Coon to walk on a leash in 3 steps, read the guide here. The guide will tell you exactly what you need to do in order to make your Maine Coon feel comfortable outside and what you need to do to make your Maine Coon follow you.
The Best Maine Coon Harness
Now let´s get to the harnesses. Here are five pieces that you should definitely check out if you want to get one.
Kitty Holster Cat Harness
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There are a lot of harnesses your Maine Coon will be able to wiggle out, but the Kitty Holster Cat Harness is safe as long you choose the right size for your Maine Coon. You might think that your cat may be able to escape, because this harness only has a velcro closure, but the velcro closure is really high quality and if closed right, your Maine Coon cat won´t be able to escape.
For most Maine Coon cats the size M/L is recommended, however you have to measure yourself if this will fit your Maine Coon as it depends on the age and the gender of your Maine Coon.
Chart From www.kittyholster.com
The great thing about this harness is that it is so large, which decreases the risk of hurting your cat and it makes it very comfortable. This is especially great if your cat gets scared outside and wants to escape. Besides all that, this harness comes in various sizes. Check the price for this harness here at Amazon.
Voyager Soft Harness for Pets – The Cheaper Alternative
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This harness is really well made. There is a lot of padding especially at the chest so it is pretty comfortable which makes it way easier to put it on your Maine Coon. Besides that it is almost impossible for your cat to escape.
The bucket and the velcro closure is at the back, that´s why it is so easy to put this harness on. If you want to get this harness for your Maine Coon cat, you should probably go with the size S or M, but it depends on your Maine Coon cat´s size. See here what size is right for your cat.
This harness comes at a reasonable price and has a lot, and I mean a lot, of positive customer reviews. The bottom line is, it has great padding, it is highly comfortable, hard to escape and comes at a reasonable price. Check the price here at Amazon.
What Kind Of Leash Should You Use?
There are people who use very short leashes, which is not really a good idea when walking a cat. A bungee leash might be okay, but it is still not perfect for walking a cat. I recommend to get this retractable dog leash. It is a high quality leash and it even comes with a collapsible water bowl.
Cats need some space to explore the environment and therefore a 16 inch leash is perfect. Most of the time a cat is not as easy to walk as a dog, they sniff the whole time, they want to climb on trees and so on and so forth. This wouldn´t be possible with a short leash. Further such a leash helps you to train your cat to follow you.
Still Having Problems Putting The Harness On?
Not every cat will get used to the harness quickly. It just depends on your Maine Coon cat´s personality. As I said, Maine Coon cats are very laid back and most Maine Coon owners won´t have any problems with this, but if your Maine Coon cat does not want to wear the harness at all, here is my pro tip.
Besides offering treats whenever you put the harness near your Maine Coon, you should also rub the harness with cat nip. I think I don´t need to tell you that most cats get very comfortable when smelling cat nip. So rubbing the harness with cat nip can do wonders for you.
Be patient, eventually your Maine Coon will accept the harness and it will even be happy whenever you take out the harness, because it means that it gets to go outside.
Conclusion
If you are looking for a great harness for your Maine Coon cat, the Kitty Holster Cat Harness is definitely a great choice. It is easy to put on, it is very comfortable for your cat and it is not overly expensive. Besides that, your Maine Coon won´t be able to wiggle out of the harness.
A cheaper alternative would be the Voyager Soft Harness. This is also a great, high quality product, but I like the Kitty Holster Cat Harness more, because it is larger and most Maine Coon cats get used to it very quickly.
If you have any questions, please leave a comment in the comment section below and I will get back to you as soon as possible.
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