Backyard Cat Adventuring

8/23/2018

How Much Adventure Do Cats Need?

Backyard adventuring for cats is a subject near and dear to my heart. (While wearing a harness and leash – not roaming loose.) It is a wonderful way for otherwise indoor cats to get the stimulation and exercise that they need to stay healthy and interested in life. Every single time that I take ShiShi or Haku out to roam around our yard, or our neighborhood, I see an instant change in their moods. They are happier, cuddlier, more interested in what is happening around the house. And my picky eater ShiShi is far more likely to eat all her dinner.

When most people think about adventure cats, they tend to imagine kitties who are backpacking with their owners in the High Sierras, or perhaps hiking long miles through towering virgin forests. And while those cats are purely amazing (not to mention their dedicated owners!), pictures of them on their gorgeous trips can sometimes be intimidating to less adventurous cat owners. Cat adventures in the backyard, around the neighborhood, and local pet-friendly parks are definitely less exciting to talk about, and much less glamorous to photograph, but they have to potential to make kitties really, really happy. And they are ever so much easier to achieve on a regular basis for those of us with crazy busy schedules (me!)

So many people have written me commenting how they love seeing ShiShi and Haku exploring in my yard - and that they’d been overwhelmed with the idea that they needed to get their cats out on huge adventures in order for them to have fun. (And then never got those same cats outdoors at all.) So guys - this post is for you!

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Backyard Adventures are Awesome

The expressions on my cats’ faces while sprawled under their favorite bush, or walking the fence line behind our house, make it easy to see how much fun they can have while exploring twenty feet from our back door. True, I have a goal of adventuring farther and wider with them eventually, but those happy kitty expressions mean that I will always give them lots of time to explore near where we live as well.

True story: Before I started taking ShiShi on bigger adventures, she used to roll over and purr when I pulled out her harness from the cupboard. Now, she is still eager to go out, but there is occasionally a small edge of worry. But once we are headed straight out the back of the lanai, all her fur fluffs up instantly and she starts pulling me to go faster. She loves to make a tight circuit all around the house, then starts roaming wider and exploring the remnants of the old golf course that is directly behind our yard.

Haku is much the same, only perhaps even happier to explore at home. He is still far less excited about those wider explores that we have been taking at one of our local parks, but really loves exploring around every edge of our (quite small!) backyard. Mind you, his idea of exploring is to walk one or two feet, then sit while he sniffs at absolutely everything in range, then walk ahead another one or two feet to repeat the process.

And once he’s found his happy spot under the Spanish moss-covered tree on the corner of the yard, it’s is all over unless I carry him around just to see more of the yard! He’s completely happy to sit in the dappled light sifting through the mossy on the tree and sniff at the breeze for hours if I let him.

Are more extensive explores and adventures awesome too – you bet! In fact, I really want to do some with ShiShi and Haku one day if they have shown me that their comfort levels are ready for it. Not to mention the fact that I frequently drool over the pictures of some of my favorite adventure cats on Instagram. But I think that those bigger adventures are going to be more about me and my desire to spend time with ShiShi and Haku while doing things that I love. And to keep me interested in the idea of taking my cats outside (those backyard walks can get pretty mega boring for me after a while!)

Happy Outdoor explores!

BTW – If you are still trying to figure out how to introduce your cat to a harness, you can check out the post I wrote about it here:

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Harness Training

Adventuring Thoughts

1 - Look at cat exploring from the cat’s point of view. Your backyard space, or the ten feet of grass behind your apartment may seem boring to you, but they love to mark the same territory over and over again and feel safe in places where they can already smell their own scent.

2 - The biggest reasons to get your cat outside are for exercise and to stimulate their senses. That can happen anywhere, so do it often and wherever is easiest for you. Frequent time spent hanging out in the backyard or at the playground is a really wonderful way to achieve that.

3 - Definitely go ahead on bigger adventures once your cat is doing well with a harness and leash. If you want to. Just remember that your cat may love those home adventures just as much as a voyage to the redwoods, and don’t think that it’s critical to go on a giant new explore – they’ll most likely be just as thrilled to be out with you close to home.

4 - Have fun. Be kind to yourself and find ways to make kitty outdoor time good for you too – that way you’ll be able to keep it up for the long haul.

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