Cat Walking Jacket

[devotedplanet]

So, we recently bought a bengal kitten. Bengals can be taught to walk on a leash, so when we were at the pet store, we bought him a leash and harness set. I tried it on him when he got home... and it not only was it ugly, but it really did not fit well. I tried to cut and adjust it, but even really just did not fit him well. It also had the tendency to twist as he walked, which rightfully annoyed him.
When I googled leash training cats, I found this:
http://www.metpet.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/walkingjacket.html

It seemed great, but I didn't really like the plain pattern, and a lot of websites wouldn't ship here, sooo... I decided to make my own, and the end result is this:


It was EXTREMELY easy to make, and Tesla approves. I made an L shaped piece of fabric for the jacket and then used contrasting fabric to make the straps and a leash. The snaps and eyelet come from the old harness set that I cut up. It took me about an hour to make, including my dumb mistakes, but I'm very happy with the end result. It's comfortable and breathable, yet very secure and he does not mind it at all.

Here is the jacket and leash:


Mine only has two straps, because I only had enough clips for two. I left space for adding a third strap, but my husband thinks the fabric is too feminine for the cat. I also wanted to have time to test it and see what Tesla thought before I ordered some clips.





He had an absolute blast on his walk. I'm going to remake this asap with 3 straps and cooler fabric.

[wildwoodflwr]

That's fantastic! And your kitty is so cute, I want to snuggle the kitty!!!!!!!!!  .... *cough* um...I mean..nice cat. 

That really is clever.  My cat hated the standard strap harness. I wonder if he would like that any better.

[cloudlover]

Omg I just died from the cuteness of your kitty.  The jacket looks AMAZING!  I think I might try something for my giant tuxedo cat- he likes to sit out in the yard, but so far I haven't found any good cat harnesses that fit him (and the ones for dogs aren't secure enough for slinky cats!)  Great job on this!

[DanniQuee]

The markings on your kitty remind me of an ocelot. He's so cute.

I've never taken my kitty for a walk, but since he's mildly insane he would probably freak out if I tried putting one of these on him. I love the idea though.

[newyorkdoll]

Ohh I love bengals! He's really gorgeous. He looks so cute on his walk. My kitty would look at me like, "Are you kidding me?" if I put a harness on him. This is an awesome crafty solution!

[craftewoman]

What a great idea. It looks like it would be more comfortable to wear than the original harness.

[OnePinkHippo]

Ohhhh, he's the cutest little thing! Whenever I put a harness on my kitty (and I got her a nice pink one, too) she walks all flat like a pancake. This might be a lil better. Plus it's so cute!

P.S. That fabric isn't too feminine! Your kitty just has style.  

[iota1617]

That is soooo cute. 

I could never get my cats to let me put anything on them like that, let alone take them for a walk!  (of course I don't have Bengals)

[tied-in-knots]

I don't think the fabric is too feminine. What do guys know? And I think Tesla likes it, so what else matters ^_^

[cigarettesandvalentines]

My cat would murder me if I tried to put her in a jacket, but your kitty is so cute!  What a great idea!