How To Make A Cat Harness Out Of Rope, Paracord, or Ribbon

How To Make A Simple Cat Harness Out Of Rope In 8 Steps

Instead of buying a harness, here’s how you can make your own cat harness in 8 steps.

Step 1: Gather the Right Materials

To make your harness, you’re going to need 4-6ft rope with some elasticity, a collar that fits your cat well, and a small hair clip.

Step 2: Make a Knot at the Metal Ring

Most collars come with either a metal ring. Take the end of your rope, form a double knot around that metal ring. An overhand knot is the strongest.

Step 3: Measure Your Cat’s Length

Put the collar on the cat with the rope attached to the metal ring. From the metal ring, measure with the rope the length from their neck to the end of their shoulder blades. You’ll want to place your fingers at that distance and save it for the next step.

Step 4: Make a Knot at the Marked Position

At this point, you should replace your fingers with a hair clip. The clip should be located at the place where the end of the cat’s shoulder blades is located. Once it’s marked by the clip, you can release the spot and form a knot there.

You’ll want to tie a knot from the collar’s side. The knot should form right where the clip is located.

Don’t completely close the knot. A small hole should be left. Once the knot is in place, you can remove the hair clip.

Step 5: Make a Large Loop for the Cat’s Legs

Take the end of the rope and put it through the small hole in the knot. You don’t want to pull the rope too far through the hole. Instead, you want to make a large loop.

Then put the collar back on your cat and rest the straight part of the rope along your cat’s back. The loop part should go behind your cat’s front legs.

Once the loop is around your cat’s legs, you can tighten it until it rests comfortably against your cat.

At this point, mark the best place for its tightness with a hair clip.

Step 6: Fully Form the Loop

Pull the end of the rope out of the loop but leave the hair clip attached. Then take the end of the rope and make a knot at the place where the hair clip is located.

Then take the end of the rope and put it through the knot again. Pull the rope through until the loop snags on the knot.

Step 7: Adjust Knot

Loosen the loop and put it behind your cat’s legs again. Put the collar on your cat again and keep the straight line of the harness along your cat’s back. You can pull on the knot to tighten it around your cat’s body.

Step 8: Attach Hair Clip for Improved Security

Finally, you can place the hair clip on the long part of the rope. You’ll want to clip it where that part of the rope intersects with the knot. This makes it harder for the cat to escape from the harness.

How To Make a Decorative, Gentle Fitting Cat Harness Out Of Paracord

Here are a few steps on how to make a harness out of paracord.

Step 1: Take Cat’s Measurements

In order to make the harness fit your cat perfectly, you need to know its measurements. Begin by taking the cord and wrapping it around your cat’s neck. Place two fingers beneath the cord to ensure it isn’t wrapped too tight.

Once you find that sweet spot, you’ll want to add an extra inch.

The same process is used to measure around the cat’s legs. Wrap the cord around the cat’s body behind their front legs. Add an extra inch.

Step 2: Measure and Cut the Body Strap

Cut the strap from the cord based on the measurement that you made for the cat’s body. You’ll want to burn the end to keep the fibers from fraying. Then fold the cord in half to find the middle.

With the middle, push it through a buckle, then bring it over the top and down to where the cord was fed through the buckle. Pull the cord to tighten it.

Then take the other ends of the cord and feed it through the top of the buckle. Pull the buckle until it returns to the other half of the buckle. Slide the top part of the buckle to the measurement you made for your cat’s body.

With the top buckle, make a square knot with the cords. Then form another square knot. Continue to form square knots all the way down the length of the cords.

Step 3: Measure and Assemble the Collar

You’ll follow the same steps to make the collar. It will just have a shorter length to do.

Step 4: Connect Two Parts Together

You’ll need to cut out 2 feet of paracord. Then take a paracord fid and attach the 2 feet of paracord do it. Then push it through the third loop on your cat’s collar. You’ll then push it up through the loop to the left.

Pull the paracord until the two ends are even in length. Then take both ends and put them through the large loop. Pull the fid through to close the loop.

Then take the body piece and push the fid through the fourth knot. Remove the fid and place it on the other end of the paracord. Push through the third knot. Pull the two pieces together until the cord between them is a length of 1.5 inches.

Step 5: Add O Ring

Make a square knot on the part where the two pieces come together. Place the O ring at the ends of the cords and slip it up until it reaches the square knot. Continue to make square knots until you reach the end of the cords.

Step 6: Connect Two Pieces on Other Side

Press the collar together to find the opposite side where the cords need to be tied. The point should be directly opposite of where the O ring is located.

You’ll follow the same steps as above. Except you want to pull the two pieces together until the cord between them is a length of 4 inches.

You can cut and seal the ends of the cord and it’s ready to use.

How To Make A Cat Harness Out Of Ribbon

If you want to make a harness out of a ribbon for your cat, then you should follow these steps.

Step 1: Fold Ribbon in Half

First, fold the ribbon in half. Take the bottom part of the ribbon and form a loop with it.

Step 2: Place Ribbon at Center of Back

Place the ribbon at the center of the cat’s back and place one end of the ribbon behind the front legs and the other end of the ribbon around the chest.

Step 3: Bring Ribbon Ends Through Loop

Then bring the two ends of the ribbon through the loop you created. Then do it again. At this point, the harness is ready to be used. You can always pull on the ends of the ribbon to undo the harness.

How Should the Rope Harness Fit?

The measurements are based on the circumference of your cat’s neck and body. It’s a rule of thumb to be able to place two fingers beneath the strap. It’s also ideal to add another inch just in case.

The rope should be secure to your cat without making them uncomfortable or cutting off their circulation.