Patent ID: 7992524

Claim:
An apparatus to be connected to a collar or harness worn by a cat, the apparatus comprising: a) a tether line having a proximal end and a distal end and further having a length greater than the height of the cat from the top of the cat's shoulders to the ground and less than the length of the cat from the front of the cat's shoulders to the end of the cat's haunches; b) a first connector attached to the distal end of the tether; c) a second connector attached to the proximal end of the tether; d) a weight that is more than 10% of the cat's weight, but less than 20% of the cat's weight, selectively connected to the first connector, wherein the weight is light enough that, upon connection of the second connector to the collar or harness worn by the cat, the weight lifts into the air when the cat jumps higher than the length of the tether such that the weight momentarily swings free on the tether whereby the cat becomes unbalanced and fails to land squarely.