Can a pet cat be trained to walk on a leash?

Yes

Possibly.

No but a cat can teach you to walk on a leash.

@gondwanalon Purrfect!

Yes, my cat was great with it.

Why would you?

And more to the point, is that level of obeisance natural to a cat? Are you depriving the cat of its innate cattishness and independence?

Is putting a cat on a leash counter to nature?

Yes, I’ve done it and my cat loved it! Granted, that was the only way I’d let her outside, but I’d let her wander, sniff, climb a small tree a little ways up, and even run, although it was hard to keep up. But yes, she loved it, and would come to me meowing, rubbing my legs, running to the door – all in an attempt to tell me she wanted out.

Yes. But it seems mean.

@elbanditoroso Really? Natural predators, cars and horrible humans are definately worth protecting them from.
Of course I don’t let my dogs wander either. It’s unfortunate dogs are held to different legal standards thus we/many areas have huge feral colony issues. If you haven’t seen cats with an eyeball hanging out or maggots in open wounds, be thankful.

I really think it depends on the cat. I know around here, the rescue orgs will not let you adopt if you say the cat will be allowed outside; nor will they let you declaw a cat.

My neighbor used to walk his dog on a leash and the cat would obediently trail afterwards.

I have heard of those who were successful in this endeavor; however, my cat didn’t take kindly to it & I decided it wasn’t worth the effort when I could simply keep her inside, so I abandoned that prospect.

I’ve seen several people over the years walking a cat on a leash. It feels wrong. But it makes sense if you have an indoor cat.

The weirdest thing I’ve seen is this lady jogging while carrying her cat (not on a leash).

I actually turned the car around hoping to get a picture of her, but I missed it.

One of my biggest life regrets.~

@raum Not only was my cat an indoor cat, but she had been declawed when I adopted her. I knew she had NO defenses when outside so I thought maybe I could walk her when I walked my dog. She was having NONE of that BS!!! Funny thing was that it felt wrong to me while I was trying to get her used to the harness & leash, so I just stopped & decided that she was going to be an indoor cat. She lived for 22 years & very happy & loved all those 22 years!!!

Cats are very trainable. It works best the youngest you can start them. I had a cat I trained to attack on command. He was awesome.
Cats untrained are an unpredictable force of nature. They should be trained for at least one thing, it makes all the difference in the world.

^^Yes, just like any other thinking being – chimps, dolphins, elephants – cats enjoy learning. Clickers work well. It allows their minds to work and they also enjoy games. I had 2 cats at the same time, one wanted to have a harness and go outside, the other didn’t. Just a matter of choice.

I enjoy leashes. A lot, actually.

It depends on the cat. I myself don’t think I would ever try it again because years ago I had a cat that I took outside on a leash. She seemed to be enjoying herself but then a loud motorcycle went by and we were near the garden which have one of those little metal fancy things surrounding it. In the space of a few seconds she managed to get herself badly tangled up in this little fence. I meant to get her untangled and inside but I also got a lot of scratches on myself in the process. She was just that terrified, and I swore I was never going to do that to another one of my cats again.

It does depend on personality. Most cats hate cars, but I had a tuxedo cat which loved riding in my convertible GTO.
There was only one incident. The positran rear went wonky once on some gravel. He bailed, and was halfway across a cornfield in a quick minute. I could hear him yell at me from the depths of the tall stalks. I was able to get him to return, but attitude the rest of the day.
Other than that, he would stay in the car unless I called him to come out.