The Outbound Cat Harness™ is our current harness and we’ve had a lot of requests to write our thoughts on it. It is an amazing harness and I definitely recommend it to adventure cat pawrents. But let’s jump in to discuss what we love about it and see if it’s a good fit for you(r cat, haha)
The Outbound Cat Harness™ has plenty of great features – reasonable priced, “escape proof” and elegant – to name a few. Note, there is no truly escape proof harness but this one is custom made which definitely helps. This is a quote from the Etsy listing:
The uniquely shaped leather harness hugs the body when a cat tries to escape, yet allows for freedom of movement and comfort when the cat is relaxed. Combined with an easy-to-adjust elastic closure, this escape- and choke-proof cat harness- is the ideal way to let your cat roam their outdoor territory safely.
We have had couple times where Chumka got badly spooked and tried to escape – thankfully without success.
Also this is the only harness (so far) that fits our cat well and secure. He is long and thin which can make harness buying difficult.
This is the minimal/ Y- style piece which is my favourite (along with vest style) as it distributes the pull pressure on cat’s shoulders and chest. In this picture Chumka is sitting on a table outside, so the leash slightly pulls the harness to the side.
My favourite feature is the unique closure. Have you noticed how some harnesses move to the side and end up looking like this? (This is the only way I could show what I meant without pointing fingers at anyone 🙈🙈). The thing is, it’s not comfortable for cats. This harness’ closure allows for the shock cord to move “on its own”, without pulling the harness with it.
The Outbound harness can be used with large cats. In the extra-large version the straps are longer and thicker; the burlier shock cords and cord locks are built to handle the extra weight. It’s still lightweight and comfy though!
The not so good
The harness has a unique design that can be confusing at first. It took me about 2 weeks to find the “proper” fit for Chumka but even then he wasn’t able to wiggle out of it.
I am interested to see how this harness does with Chumka’s sweaters in the winter/ fall. They are meant to be worn over the straps – so I might need to work around that so he can be comfortable. On the other hand, I didn’t have any issues with cooling gear. I put his “summer vest” under the harness and Chumka didn’t mind at all. In fact, it kept in nicely in place.
Also, as I was writing this, I realized that I used a kitty sweater under the harness. It still allowed for full range of motion but seemed a bit awkward at times. His winter jacket might be more of a challenge I think.
You need to pull this harness over your cat’s head to put it on. Some cats don’t like it but don’t worry, it takes seconds to do it. And then they forget about it as they get excited to go out haha.
The shipping is about CAD$22 so the cost of the harness totals to about CAD$80. It’s still cheaper than some “better” harnesses out there though. Also the shipping can take rather long if you’re located outside of the USA. In my honest opinion it’s still worth it though 😊
Update: I reached out to Jennifer (the harness manufacturer) and she said that shipping cost is (usually) cheaper when you order from her website.
Final words
I genuinely “struggled” to come up with the “negatives” about this harness 🙈. We’ve been using it for couple months and used it on couple trips; so it’s not like it hasn’t been through enough LOL. We even took it kayaking on our trip to the Cariboo.
If you’re looking for a reliable harness that is better quality than “the beginner harness” and isn’t going to break your bank – The Outbound Cat Harness™ is perfect for you.
Please give your pet some love from me 😌💛
Featured
Custom made harness for fit and function
The OutBound Cat Harness™
This might be the only harness that offers additional "support" in custom/XL size so your pet can be as comfortable as possible
Hello there! Some of the things I’m obsessed with are cats, science and medicine - so this (blog) is a perfect mixture of those three things, isn’t it?! Join me as I write about cool things I’ve learned and obsessed over.
