Well, he actually does.  Mostly in his backyard, but sometimes Haku really enjoys himself on longer adventures too.   I've run into a whole lot of roadblocks though with his wider adventure training recently though - most especially because of his anxiety about leaving behind the place that he calls home.  

To be fair, hoping in a car has never been Haku's happy thing.  He was quite ill as a kitten (which we didn't know when we picked him up from his breeder), and he both threw up and had diarrhea  within minutes of getting into the car for our 6 hour drive home that day. (Turns out that a special raw food diet is our best weapon with his tummy and allergy issues).  And even though he doesn't normally get sick on car rides anymore, I'm pretty sure that it's still hovering there in the back of his kitty mind. 

Training Haku to go further than our lanai was a long, slow process.  It actually took a number of months of leash training before he was comfortable even adventuring all the way around in our (tiny!) backyard.  It was even longer before he was ready to go a little further away from our house, such as down the block a short ways.  Finally, about 7-8 months ago, we began going on the occasional park visit.  And it's been (was!) awesome - he mostly did quite well with those huge adventures (except for the fatal Park Misadventure - no more open spaces with water for him!). 

But, somehow, someway, somewhere Haku suddenly decided all over again that he truly hates car rides, and he wasn't even too enthused about those tiny neighborhood voyages to the Turtle Bridge down the street.  How did this happen?  Who knows!  That cat's mind is a complete mystery to me some days...  All I know is that I'm now having to slowly and step-by-step go back through nearly our whole harness training/adventuring process with him.  And it's working.  But - dang!  I sure hope it sticks better this time around!
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In a word - yes.  I think that it is.  My quite large family is (finally!) getting older, and there is the real possibility of  travel to wider destinations in just a few more years.   If at all possible, I want to bring ShiShi and Haku with me as I fulfill at least some of my travel dreams and explore more of the US - and Canada too.  (It is currently quite easy to bring pets across the border there.)  Already ShiShi is doing well enough on our expanded adventures that I think my goal of travel with her in a few years is quite realistic.  But then there's Haku... 

The furthest goal from my mind is to have a stressed out cat who hates going on adventures, or worse yet doesn't even want to go outside.   And, far more that those eventual trips across the US and Canada, I want Haku to be comfortable simply exploring around the area where we live.  I am a deep believer in the healthiness of sunshine and exercise for nearly everyone, not least of all for my cats.  And we've had many, many of times over this past year where Haku simply glowed with happiness after a good time in the outdoors, whether close by, or a bit further away.  We just need to find our way back to that happy point again...

When all is well, Haku has a marvelous time wandering around our yard, or even poking around in new places.  In fact, after the past few weeks of re-training, he is already excited within the first moment of actually getting his head out the door - but he's still sometimes nervous when he first sees his harness.  It looks like I'm going to have to be even more careful this time around as we move through our adventure training process to make sure that he doesn't stress.  I'm honestly not sure what set this whole problem off in the first place - maybe a perfect storm of tiny issues with our last car ride/further away  but seemingly awesome Tree Park Adventure.  One way or another, we are already back on the road to bigger adventures. 

Woo Hoo!  I'm pretty sure that we just found the best cat walking park, and it was only a very short drive from our house.  Honestly, I  can't believe that we didn't figure out that it was there sooner.  I've probably driven past it a hundred times, and even kickbiked past it (it's a scooter thing) on the way to our local rails-to-trails.  It only goes to show that the best spots to take cats to are often hidden away in our local environment - and it's precisely that hiding that makes them so perfect.  Despite offering a gorgeous expanse of mowed pathways under the trees, very few dog owners seem to have discovered it either.  From now on this park is going to be our secret getaway!

When I say this was a fabulous cat walking park, you should definitely be noticing the irony to be seen in most of the pictures of Haku that we took there.   He quite enjoyed the park - but mostly from his vantage point in the stroller, or an even higher perch in his human sister's arms.  (Good thing she ADORES carrying him!)  ShiShi, on the other hand, was happy to lead us through the whole park like the grand adventurer that she is growing to be.  The only times that she ended up back in the stroller were when we spotted an eagle flying above us during an open field stretch, and when we headed back to the parking lot.  That cat impresses me more with every adventure experience I throw her way.

 It's a little difficult to estimate how long our walk actually was, mostly because of how the tree path area was laid out - there was another substantial area of field pathways that we didn't walk - mostly because of the eagle circling above our heads.  (I've heard enough bad cat/eagle stories to be extremely wary in that situation!)  There are also a separate dog walking field and a lovely community garden  there.  But, I'm thinking that the area we explored was a bit over a quarter mile??  That may sound small, but there was SO much to sniff and explore in there that the feeling was much larger.

The park is absolutely gorgeous, and filled with quiet spots that would be perfect for a picnic or stringing up a hammock while the cats explore.  In fact, both of those activities are high on my list when we get the chance.  There was even a tiny waterfall, but with water so shallow that I'd never feel the need to worry about a sizable gator.  Despite poking around there for at least an hour, neither cat ever got unhappy.  The worst moment was when Haku's stroller went out of sight while he was out exploring!  Oh - and when ShiShi startled me with a sudden lizard/tree jump that was attempted through the old barbed wire that the field pathways are defined with for some odd reason.  Fortunately, all was well in both instances, and the four human family members who went on our walk all voted that was easily our best cat hike-adventure ever!

So, ya'll have probably figured out by now - I really love the Pet Gear stroller that I purchased for the cats a few months ago.  It has completely opened up the adventuring world for us in more ways than I could actually cover in one short blog post.  But the biggest improvement of all has been my ability to take out both of my cats at the same time for short neighborhood adventures. 

Many mornings my girls and I now take a break from our homeschooling routine to pop the cats into their harnesses, grab the stroller, and walk one of the long blocks around the area we live.  Neighbors are actually getting quite used to seeing ShiShi and Haku, and stop us to ask how they are doing.  And the cats, while still nervous of strangers on the street, are in turn becoming much more used to new people, dogs of all shapes and sizes, and even traffic.  ShiShi usually comes running when I get things ready for our walk (and often spends the rest of the day once we are home sleeping either on top or inside her precious stroller).

The really huge part of this spectacular stroller story, though, happens after that first walk around the block.  That's when I drop my girls off at our house so they can get back to school, and I take the kitties off by myself to visit the Bridge.
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Two amazing (and critical!) things are at play on these new adventures that ShiShi, Haku and I take to the Bridge.  Well, three if you count the fact that we wouldn't be able to go together at all without the means for me to transport two cats at once.  (Tandem backpacking did not work well at all for us!)  This stroller has felt a minor miracle, since I  don't often have a backup person to help me walk two cats at once, but very often have cats begging to go outside.

Best of all, my kitties are riding together.  This might seem obvious, but it means that there is far less for ShiShi and Haku to be nervous about as we stretch their comfort zone more and more.  Whenever something happens that would normally make one of them feel worried, they have the other to take cues from.   If something strange or unexpected happens (all the time!) they recover their happy curiosity many times faster than they would if on their own with me.

​And, both kitties have quickly grown to associate the stroller as a 'safe' place.  It happened quite naturally as both dogs and people are held at bay while the cats can peer out curiously from inside.  Also, once they are out and walking on their own four paws, there have been times when I spotted a bigger dog heading our way (big dogs make them nervous) and quickly popped them back in for a safety break.  Incredibly for both them and myself, they seem to feel invincible once inside.  Now, if  I'm even thinking that either cat is acting a bit nervous (for instance when ShiShi heard a startling sound while we were out today), I just stick them back in with the screens still partially open, and then they can choose when they want to hop back out again.

And - hopping out really is the best part of all!  Our habit right now is to stroll to the edge of Turtle Bridge, then open up the compartment for the kitties to hop out and explore.  Note here - sometimes Haku elects to just stay in the stroller and observe from his safe perch!  After a bit I tell them it's time to go back.  My adventure cats then actually lead the way home, sometimes at a pokey/sniffy pace, but are generally pulling me along by the time we hit the sidewalk.  They've even (mostly) figured out that they need to wait for each other and walk together.  To put it mildly, I am so proud of them and impressed.

Mind you, I'm still in love with our longer park adventures too.  But it's impossible at this point in my life to have that kind of adventure on a daily, or even weekly, basis.  I also adore the idea of real backpacking/camping with my guys one day.  But the very real benefits, right now, of day-to-day outdoor explores are ours thanks to that well-beloved stroller.  Pawsome!

Wow!   After months of thinking about it, I finally purchased a Pet Gear stroller to try out with ShiShi and Haku, and every last one of us is in love.   Between the ease of use and obvious comfort of the cats, I'm over the moon with the improved quality of our day-to-day adventuring. 

​At nearly 3 weeks post-purchase, we are getting outside for a quick walk around our neighborhood most mornings or evenings, and ShiShi loves the thing so much that she actually sits in it where it's stored on the lanai for hours at a time, meowing to anyone who comes by that it's time for another stroll.  I'm shooting myself for not solving a a whole handful of persnickety cat adventuring problems eons ago.  If only I'd bit the Cat Stroller Bullet sooner...
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​1.  Because it was easy to see that ShiShi and Haku were comfortable with the stroller from the start, I really sped up their introduction.   For a cat who was unused to being outdoors on a leash, I'd definitely slow down the process with treats and lots of time to get used to it.  There a great examples of this process in my article How to Train Stubborn Cats to Wear  a Harness.  

2.  Keeping the stroller, at least for now, where both cats have access to it even when we aren't strolling has been a big plus.  It has become a happy, safe place where both of them hop in just to hang out in style whenever they are on the lanai.  And it is cute beyond anything to see one of my teens pushing ShiShi around the lanai yet again, just because she meowed so sweetly for it.

3.  There are several styles of Pet Gear Strollers.  I am thrilled with the flexibility of the Pet Gear Special Edition version.  It is easily able to roll over the grass on my lawn without getting stuck, and the shock absorbers keep the kitties from bouncing around on sidewalk cracks.  Although popping the kitties into our zip-in Pet Gear stroller really is a breeze, now that I know how much the they love strolling I definitely want to get the updated version with no-zip entrance clips, and probably will splurge for the jogging stroller wheels too when I get the chance.  

4.  I know that I said this before - but I really wish that I'd got one of these Cat Strollers sooner.   I eyeballed them at my local pet store for the last year, but just wasn't sure if a stroller would appeal to ShiShi and Haku or not.  I'm sure that they aren't for everyone, but they are changing our 'adventuring' life in a very positive way.  Less trauma + more frequency = happier cats.

This past weekend, as part of my long-term quest to give ShiSh an extra boost in confidence, I decided to take her on an adventure of her own.  Our incredibly hot summer finally has been cooling off, and we've been ready to get outside again.  The hunt was on for a place we could go that would be relatively dog-safe, and not too long a drive.
I really wasn't sure what we were going to encounter, but finally  decided on a local park as an experiment.  Since it's only about 10 minutes from our home, I figured that we could always turn around and head straight back home if it didn't work out.

ShiShi was obviously ready and raring to go -  she came running when she heard me pulling out her harness, and waited impatiently by the front door the minute that her harness was on.  She was NOT happy to get tricked into her backpack, though, and the ten minute drive to the park was spent with my wondering if she was going to be too nervous without Haku to actually have fun (she was obviously unhappy with the drive), but the minute that we were onto less developed part of the walking trail she was out of the pack and exploring.

The trail itself was a real joy!  In the past I've been very happy with our experiences with both cats on a few other different park adventures (other than the hungry mosquitoes at one), but was not so thrilled with our one attempt to take them around saltwater at an island park.  But - I easily would call this particular one our best cat hike ever.  I honestly can't wait to go back with a little more human help, and Haku, because I think we will all have a fabulous time. 

The trail is just wide enough to feel the human adventurers to be comfortable walking side by side, but path-like enough that ShiShi mostly felt the desire to keep walking ahead to see what would be next.   Of course, there was lots of stopping to sniff, and at one point ShiShi found an awesome little tree to climb and scout the trail ahead, but we also made unexpectedly fast time.  Unlike Haku (who is willing to plant his furry bum and sniff for eons in the same spot), ShiShi was generally willing to move along after a quick sniff or poke in the bushes.  We only met a few other walkers, and they were (of course!) charmed to see the 'little lynx' moseying along.

On the last bit of hike, a near miracle happened - ShiShi actually wore out enough that she was happy to be carried the rest of the way.  We walk around endlessly like that all the time indoors, but she has always wanted down instantly in the past when we are outside.  I didn't try to put her in the backpack since I hated to ruin an otherwise wonderful walk with more challenging training, but I'm definitely seeing how it could be advantageous to wear her pack upside down so that she could perch on it, as I have seen some other cat-hiking families do.  Either that, or invent some kind of comfortable shoulder perch - my arm tired quickly with her ten pound weight!

I do think that Haku was a bit jealous when we got back home.  He sniffed her all over and was more than ready to be taken out on an extensive backyard adventure the next day.  We've had a long hot summer with very little outdoor time, but after both today and the great backyard adventures we have had recently,  I'm becoming hopeful that with enough training I'll have real hiking adventure cats yet! 

1.   I was worried about how ShiShi would do going on a longer adventure without Haku.  At first things seemed to be rough in the car, but once on the trail she did great.  If anything, she was super happy to be able to move along at a faster pace than Haku is usually willing to go at.

2.   I don't think that ShiShi is ready for adventures where she is going to meet people constantly.  She was fine on the quiet, woodsy trail in the back trail areas, but the busier paved walkways near the playground and parking lot were definitely not much fun for her.  If we go there again on a weekend, we'll stay away from the busier areas for now.

3.   Even though it has been months since we had a bigger adventure (not our yard or close-by neighborhood), ShiShi was instantly comfortable with walking and exploring her way down the path.   Though not incredibly long by many peoples' hiking standards, she was super excited to explore the entire 1/2 mile of trail, although she was also tiring out a little near the end.  I almost felt like the break since our last big explore at the beginning of the summer helped her to be more ready for this new experience, rather than making her forget how to walk on her leash or have fun exploring,