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I am a dog lover. Just lost my two dogs. Stolen by my ex, unlikely to ever get them back.

So for now I got a kitten (2-3 months old. Fits in the palm of my hand).

Is it possible to train my cat to go on walks/hikes on my shoulder? She will be on a leash in case she decides to take off, but will travel on my shoulder. I won't walk her on a leash like a dog, I've seen people do that and it's just painful to watch.

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  • I have a cat who loves to sit on my shoulder. That worked great while she was a 1-2-pound kitten. Now that she's 4 years old and probably in the 7-8 pound range this doesn't really work so well any more (although she still tries - usually ends up across both shoulders like a scarf with claws latched into my collar-bone...). So I'd certainly second the back-pack idea.
    – brhans
    Commented May 21, 2018 at 19:23

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Yes you can. But the hard part is not the cat sitting on your shoulder.

First you need your kitten to be perfectly comfy sitting on your shoulder / backpack. You can do this indoors, where it does not matter when / where she jumps off.

The problem probably will be the new surroundings you take your cat into. So socialise your kitten and bring her along as much as you can. Start doing that today if you can. Your cat needs to know, in its bones, that it can trust you and be save on your shoulders. Else it will not work.

May I suggest wearing something where your cat can get a good grip but will not hurt you? Leather vest of a think woollen sweater?

But in the end is it something your cat will enjoy? Some do, some don't. Hopefully you are lucky with this one.

One of my cats likes to sit on my shoulders, well, drape himself, being fully grown and about 6 kg. But he gets really scared going outside. That ends up being no joy for the both of us...

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Some cats are perfectly happy to ride shoulders, or drape themselves around their human's neck. Some don't feel stable there and won't cooperate, just as some take many years before they can relax being carried. You can try training it as a trick, with rewards, but you may still find that your cat just does not like the idea.

An alternative in that case maybe a backpack or chest pack designed as a cat carrier, similar to baby carriers. These give the cat a sheltered seat/bed that they can't fall out of, and may be a compromise the cat is more comfortable with. It isn't as impressive has having the cat willing to shoulder-sit despite distractions and the inherent instability of us two-legs; you need to decide whether you are trying to show off your cat training skills or just bring the cat along with you so it can see the world.

Cats have their own opinions, and we have to figure out how to negotiate with them. Otherwise they wouldn't be cats.

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