My mention of Romeo’s new harness and leash brought this comment early this week:

Okay, just to let you know, after reading about your harness idea, I went to Petland and bought one – cheap enough in case I was wasting my time/money. I actually got it on Kulia, we went outside, he lay there immobile. No amount of prodding could move him. Second time he walked around a little, very tentatively – not sure why, he usually bolts on the rare occasion that he escapes. As long as he lets me put the harness on I’ll keep taking him out, would be cool if he actually gets to a point of walking normally, so thanks for the idea.

This is familiar territory. When I first tried the harness routine several years ago, as soon as the harness went on, Romeo would just drop down in a lump and refuse to move. Period. A couple of times he might stand like a drunken sailor, waddle about a foot, and drop again.

I attributed the behavior to a kitten’s instinctive docility when its mother picks it up by the scruff of the neck. When that happens, kittens go limp and can be successfully moved from one nest to another. My theory is that the leash, which connects to the harness at the back of the neck, triggers the same response even in an adult cat like Romeo.

But the new harness and leash are basically just a thin black cord with some connectors and buckles. Very light and minimalist. Although there was some initial hesitation, it only took a couple of tries, and a little encouragement, for Romeo to finish an almost complete boundary patrol around the edge of the yard. There were several interruptions as he would hunker down, watch, and wait, before moving on, but he walked normally for much of the time.

A bunch of photos of this epic tour of the yard follow.

Now my problem is negotiating some agreement on how often he gets to go walking, and how long each outing should be. His main negotiating tactic is to walk around the house yowling, stopping to look out into the back yard, perhaps to tap at my leg if I’m sitting down. Right now, he has the upper hand in negotiations. But if pressed, I can close him in the bedroom until he gets tired of complaining.

Click below to see Romeo’s big adventure.