Plain and simple...  I would *not* make her go outside.  If she doesn't like
it, why force the issue?  If you want to try and have her lose weight, there
are a million ways to do this one.  Playing with her as much as possible
will do the trick tho'!!  See if she likes paper balls.  Run a string around
the room for her to chase.  Get a tall cat post for her to be able to climb
up and down.  So many cat toys at Pet Smart!!

Welcome to the wonderful world of being owned by a feline!!!  >^..^<

Congratulations!

 As she is an older cat she may not take as well to a harness,  but its
worth a try, unlike dogs however, cats take you for walks not the other
way round.  Wilkinsons sell cheap harnesses-nothing special but they
work(used one on kiwi to get him accustomed to the outside world), pets
at home sell more a expensive version.  Most larger pet shops sell a
harness of some sort designed for cats, even extendable leads!!

Try and get her to play as much as possible and speak to your vet about
her weight or about putting her on a "gentle" diet.

As you have only just got her do not change anything too fast as she
will need some of her old routeen to settle in.

Any chance of some photos? :-)

Hi Jayne,

Some cats get on with a harness, some don't.  I've used a harness with three
rescue cats with great success.  They were kittens, though, and you may find
it more difficult with an older cat.  I *have* walked a very elderly cat
(20yrs +) on harness and lead.  This was a very loving and trusting
relationship, though.

If you want to try, get the harness right away and use it as a stimulating
plaything with your cat over the next three weeks.  Hopefully, she will love
playing with it and she will probably mouth it and chew it; this will cover
it with her scent and make her more at ease with it when you start to put it
on her.  Try and make putting it on her a game, too.  This should be easy -
she will probably help you!

If she's not happy with it, don't force her.  A little firm coaxing is okay,
but there's no point distressing her.  She can still keep it as a plaything.

If she is happy to wear it, you'll still have to be careful and sympathetic
when you take her out.  I found it really helpful to constantly talk to
kitty: tell her she's going for a nice walk .. that she'll have to walk
round the door, not use the catflap!  If, once outside, she reacts badly to
the harness, pick her up, cuddle her and explain that you want her to be
safe and close to you while you're out.  Explain noises to her: tell her if
she's safe; tell her when there's a  danger and that she must stay close to
you.  Stand still if another cat appears and watch how she responds.
Whatever you encounter, reassure her and explain it.  Praise her when she
copes well; when she doesn't, give her a hug and tell her she was brave to
try - even if she was an utter wimp!  Keep your first walks short,
especially if she's uneasy.  Praise her again when she's indoors.
Gradually, she will learn to trust your judgement when you're outdoors.

I hope you can make this work. I've found it a very useful care and training
aid, but don't press your lovely new puss too hard.

Spider

i have 2 black cats, Greebo (has a white tip to his tail) & Taxi (all black)
. both of them are purely indoor cats, or "window watchers" as i have also
heard them called. both of them are trained to walk on a harness because
they do not go outside at all. neither of them are big fans of grass or
dirt anyway and the harness also makes vet visits and car trips that much
easier.
the first few times i put either of them in a harness they tried to reverse
out of it, the next few times they just sat very still, but within a week,
they were both learning how to walk on a leash.
Greebo is almost 18 months old & taxi is 8 months old.
i found the nicest harnesses are the small/medium 'rogz for dogz'
harnesses. i tried others but these are nicely adjustable and very
comfortable for almost & fully grown cats.

That spray to keep them from clawing the furniture is called "bitter apple
spray". Won't stain the upholstery.Another thing is "soft paws".They are
little claw covers you glue on.They come in several colors but are not
cheap.One lady told me she put different colors on her cat for different
seasons.How is it going?

I'm afraid I don't know much about cat harnesses but as far as a leash is
concerned --there are very light weight ones available for cats as well as
small dogs.I like the ones that are made from lanyards.I used one on my
little long haired chihuahua.If you are into crafts at all--it would be
very easy to make your own.Any craft store has the materials or you could
order via the internet.