Traveling Cats!

At a recent event, I met a few traveling cats. It's not the norm to see cat owners out and about with their cats. Dogs rule the world of traveling with their humans everywhere. There are some very valid reasons that happens.

Cats are very independent and love to explore their surroundings on their own terms, while dogs are happy to sniff around, mark, and move on. Not to mention that cats are extremely territorial and don't take to being outside their everyday environment very well. It ends up being more stressful than enjoyable. So how do cat owners manage to get their cats to be traveling pets?!

Training is not especially easy. You need to start early with a leash and harness, as early as possible. You'll want to make sure that the harness fits correctly—snug but not too tight—and that it has a "breakaway" option in case they get caught, so they can get out of the harness. Once they are comfortable wearing a harness, attach a leash and get them used to walking with you. Cats will want to stop and sniff everything you go past, not to mention trying to catch anything that catches their eye—birds, bugs, squirrels, etc.

If that doesn't sound like a scenario that will work with your cat, you can go more expensive and get a pet stroller! You can clip them in, and most of them have screened zipper enclosures to keep them safe. This keeps them in a safe environment while you take them out—giving them a sense of safety and comfort. For the ultimate adventure with your feline friend, you can use a stroller and harness/leash setup, giving them the option to walk and explore or just ride in comfort!

One cat I met - Lucifer, a black Egyptian hairless cat, was on a leash, being carried in her owner's arms - but they also had the bubble backpack to put him in as needed. He was social and comfortable being on a leash/being held, letting strangers pet him and loving the attention. A bubble backpack is a kind of cat carrier that is the size of a large backpack, but the front of the backpack is a hard clear plastic with holes for fresh air. He stopped and let me pet him and enjoyed two handfuls of cat treats. Even doling out an accidental bite - he ate all the treats and thought my ring was the last bite and bit my finger instead!

There were two other cats we had the joy of meeting - they were leashed and clipped in a pet stroller. The stroller is slightly smaller than a standard stroller and has many of the same features - a basket underneath to store things, an adjustable back to lay flat, at an angle, or straight up. There's also a sunshade that pulls over the top of the stroller and a mesh screen to keep bugs out.

Since I saw these cats out and about, enjoying the fresh air and getting lots of attention from all the people they met, I have considered getting a stroller to take some of my more social cats out. Most likely, it would be Smokey—she is the extremely social cat always looking for attention. Getting a pet stroller is now sharing the back burner with Smokey getting an unpaid job at the nursing home as a visiting cat. Only time will tell if either or both of these things happen!

Would you ever take your cat out for an adventure - on a leash or in a stroller? If so, where would you go? Would you use the stroller or a harness/leash combo? The #purrfectdozen crew wants to know how many cat owners will be joining the traveling cat club!

Till our tails cross again,

Mel

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