Trying to walk the cat

Okay so I finally did it. I've been thinking about getting Simba on a harness and leash for a while now, mostly because of how much insane energy he has. After my last post where he almost killed me with endless playtime, I figured maybe some outdoor exploration time would help burn off some of that chaos. Plus he stares out the window constantly, clearly interested in whats going on outside.

I ordered this cat harness online, one of those escape-proof vest style ones that goes around the chest. It came yesterday and I was fully prepared for disaster. I was mentally ready for him to freeze up completely or flip out and thrash around when I tried to put it on. Every single video I've watched online of cats wearing harnesses, they just fall over onto their side and refuse to move. Like their legs suddenly stop working the moment fabric touches them. Its a whole thing apparently.

But Simba? This cat walked around the living room in the harness like it was absolutely nothing. Barely even seemed to notice it was on honestly. I stood there holding the leash watching him stroll around sniffing things, waiting for the freak out that never came. I was actually shocked. Maybe its a toyger thing? Or maybe he's just weird. Probably just weird.

So after testing it inside for a bit we went outside. Into the backyard through the sliding door. I was holding onto that leash so tight, ready for him to bolt or panic. And he just... started exploring. Sniffing the grass really intensely, checking out the fence posts, investigating a random rock near the patio like it was the most interesting thing he'd ever seen. Just normal curious cat behavior but outside. He even walked on the leash pretty decently, like he would tug a bit when he really wanted to go smell something specific but nothing too crazy to handle.

The absolute best part of this whole experience was my neighbor. Mrs. Patterson was out in her yard doing something with her flower pots and she looked up and saw me standing in my backyard in the middle of the afternoon holding a leash. And at the end of that leash was what I'm sure looked like a small actual tiger to her. The confusion on her face was absolutely priceless. Her hands just stopped moving mid-pot. I gave her a little wave. Didn't bother explaining anything. Just let her wonder what exactly is going on at her neighbor's house. She waved back looking very concerned.

We were out there for maybe fifteen or twenty minutes before Simba decided he was done with the whole outdoor adventure and started walking toward the back door on his own. Fair enough little buddy. It was his first time out there and I didn't want to overwhelm him or push it too far. But honestly the whole thing went way better than I ever expected. No flopping over dramatically, no panicking and trying to escape, just a curious little tiger cat enjoying being outside in the sun and fresh air.

I'm definitely gonna try to do this more often now. Maybe work up to actual walks around the block eventually instead of just hanging out in the backyard. With the amount of energy he has, he probably genuinely needs it. And honestly it was really nice to be outside with him, just the two of us. Just me and my weird little tiger cat, confusing the neighbors together. Gonna call that a solid win.