Cats on a Leash

When I was younger, I saw what I thought was one of the most ridiculous things ever conceived…a cat on a leash.  I mean, cats are born to wander, not be chained up like a dog.  We all know we are beneath them, so the thought of subjecting a cat to such nonsense almost seems blasphemous.  I thought that until I talked to the owner of the cat, who had a perfectly reasonable excuse for walking his cat on a leash.

The owners of this cat were snowbirds, traveling north for the summer and staying in their motorhome.  Their beloved cat made the trip with them, but because they were frequently in new surroundings, they couldn’t just let him wander around for fear he wouldn’t return.

So their solution was to walk him on a leash, which they did faithfully every single day.  I was surprised that the cat wasn’t fat from living in a motorhome all the time, but he looked great and seemed to really enjoy his sedate walks. 

I still don’t think I could ever bring myself to putting my cat on a leash, no matter what the circumstances, but at least now I know that there might actually be a good reason for such torture.  This particular cat had grown up that way, so to him, it was business as usual.  I’m glad they were thoughtful enough to leash him, because it would have been devastating to lose him on one of their stops.

What about you?  Would you ever leash a cat?