Taking the cat for a walk

I know that a cat on a leash is a weird sight, but it’s not the strangest I’ve seen. While I lived in NY, there was a neighbour who used to walk his pet iguana on a leash.

I’m trying to get my cat used to wearing a collar and walking on a leash, but being the free soul she is, she doesn’t like the idea.

First of all, I think most people wonder “WHY?? Why would you put a cat on a leash and not let them run around freely?” 
The answer is simple: if I lived in another neighbourhood with a clearly defined territory for my cat (a garden), I’d let her with no problems. But the area we live in currently is overrun by strays carrying fleas, mites, and other lovely parasites and diseases and they like to fight. I’m sure she’s able to hold her own, but at this point, I’d rather she didn’t have to. 
But she is as curious as any cat and wants to be outside, so I want to give her this chance while also keeping her close at hand.
Another reason is simply that I want to be able to travel with her, for example to the vet or to visit the in-laws without having to worry that she will run off never to be seen again. Then I won’t have to keep her caged, or home alone for several days. 

Anyway, today was the first day that I let her go outside on a leash. (She’s been outside without one before, but my hubby gets so nervous about it that he prefers she doesn’t do it.) I have this weird stretchy collar that you wrap with velcro around her throat and under her chest, and then snap shut with a belt. Last time I put it on her, she did backflips until it flew off.

This time I put it on her while she was feeling social, then fed her a little bit of canned food (she never gets it, so it’s a big treat for her), and once she was done licking the plate clean, I put the leash on her and brought her to the open door, where she could decide what to do.

The cat decided to walk under the laundry and sniff it, and hide under my legs and observe the world. I think she did this for about five minutes until she got nervous and decided to go back inside. Inside, she flopped down next to the door (“how do you expect me to be able to walk with this thing on me pressing down from every direction??” said her eyes) and waited for me. I took the collar off and she walked in circles, purring around my legs, no doubt hoping for more tasty canned food.

All in all, it went very well. I hope to be able to do this without giving her canned food each time, but I think it’ll work nicely in the start to put her in a good mood.