I would not be worried about it. Cats can be very good about going for walks, given the chance. I had a few cats join walks with a dog I was sitting for, and they never ran off. It was the cutest thing ever!
4 Likes
Thank you to everyone who has commented. This community is wonderful for feedback, itâs a great resource for sitters 
4 Likes
@cat.tails, what a truly fantastic question.
We have completed housesits for bunch of cats. Some indoor and some outdoor. Never have we heard of taking cats for walks without a lead! Enjoy.
I did a week long sit in Worcester with Murphy, a cocker spaniel who walked on lead, Cassie, a spoodle walked off lead and Charlie, the cat. Murphy and Cassie were walked separately to account for various quirks.
Charlie the cat would often come along for part of Murphyâs walks.
There was a flap that all of the pets used but it was on a timer that allowed coming back inside but not going outside after dark.
I had been pretty unsure about sitting outdoor city cats but Charlie set my mind at ease. I was told that he had once gone walk-about for 3 months and was returned because he was chipped.
One of my first sits was in Somerset at a 19th century castle with lots of land - a lawn, forest, pond. I would walk the 2 black labs 3 times a day and 1 or both indoor/outdoor cats would sometimes along.
4 Likes
Awww 
I used to do that⌠I had a lengthy not-quite-sit many years ago, not staying at the house but visiting the cats a couple times a day. There were 3 of them and I took them on rambles in the woods out back â all 3! It was their territory anyway but they walked along with me and we all just kind of poked along exploring, and I took so many pictures of them. This reminded me of that fun time.
Iâm nervous just sitting outdoor cats, because Iâd feel terrible if something happened to them. But, if the owners are OK with it, what can you do. Iâve crossed my fingers and let them out. (Now, there was one scary night when my best little sit buddy was outside, and the neighboursâ nasty dogs were running loose, and then there was a speeding car and could they have chased him into the road, and I was increasingly worriedly hunting all over the yard and along the roadside with a flashlight and a broom in case I needed to fend off the dogs. I couldnât find him, went back to the house⌠and there he was sauntering in from the opposite direction like, âwhat.â 
)
So anyway, doing the walk with the HO if you can is a great idea, and talking to them about your fears may be reassuring. You might have a great time walking with the cat!
Let us know how it goes?
4 Likes
As a cat person with a lot of cat experience, unless those walks were in a confined, enclosed and safe area, I would never do this with any cat -even my own. There are far too many risks and those are heightened when a stranger (you) is in charge. There is NO upside to this in my opinion and only potential danger for all parties involved.
Second point, be sure that youâre ok with all owner requests. If youâre not, then turning down the sit might be the best thing for all.
1 Like
I find that an absurd request! Cats donât need to be âwalkedâ. If itâs an indoor cat (which I presume is the case, otherwise the âwalkingâ is beyond absurd!) the home should have been âcatifiedâ enough to give plenty of opportunities for stimulation and exercise. If the cat is encountering things that make it hiss during these âwalksâ and if it follows its owner closely, itâs clearly being stressed. Not cool. So many cat custodians confuse what a cat will endure with what a cat enjoys - usually from wishful thinking on the humanâs part - and this sounds like a classic case. As for asking a sitter to âwalkâ the cat - What could possibly go wrong??
Itâs true that cats are creatures of habit, but a considerate and intelligent HO would realise that breaking a (frankly ridiculous!) habit for four days carries far less risk than demanding a sitter maintain it. I would politely (of course!) explain that I would be too concerned that something might go wrong⌠For example, the sudden appearance of a cat-chasing dog.. to be comfortable with walking Minaloushe, so would the HO please allow me to miss out on that for the four days of my stay.
Iâd add that since what this HO seems really to want is a low-maintenance dog, they consider a stuffed toy on wheels. But then Iâd probably delete that.
1 Like
We walk our own cat, but on a leash.
As sitters, weâve walked a cat, also leashed, and dogs, of course. Always leashed.
This might be just us, but we wonât accept a sit in which a pet is walked without a leash. Simply do not want to risk it! No matter how short the sit.
As a side note, we watch videos on YouTube of families who do walk cats unleashed. One favorite is somewhere in the Netherlands and the cats walk with their owners to the lake and back. One of the cats is named Martin. We love these videos! LOL 
Have any of you seen these?
2 Likes
Sorry i have to disagree with @toreishi & @DieFledermaus .
This is quite normal for some cats.
I had one cat for 18 years & he persisted in going for walks with me. I dont know how it started. He just presumed he could follow me anywhere i went.
Luckily, when he was young to middle age, we lived and worked in an area he could do this & he had regular walks several times a day & came to work with me and knew all the neighbours. This was this cats personality & he was very happy.
We had another cat, who very occasionally would follow but never went so far.
When we moved to a more traffic area the cat still expected a walk. I tried a lead but after years of not using he didnt take well. Amazingly he did take to hand signals & commands and i carried on taking him for walks until he was an old man. Amazing cat/person bond..
Now i never expected another person to walk this cat if i wasnât there but i know he followed other people he knew or people feeding him. I warned them about this, so they were prepared.
I would genuinely say, so.long as you are walking the cat in a non traffic area it should be fine. But definitely do what you feel comfortable with. Maybe start small and do discuss anything your not comfortable with.
I have had other cats who appreciated shorter strolls too, so its not uncommon and i enjoyed wanderimg with them. Enjoy.
7 Likes