Culverhouse Nature Park Adventure!

Best Cat Walking Park Ever

Woo Hoo!  I'm pretty sure that we just found the best cat walking park in all of Sarasota, 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 - Culverhouse Park is 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.

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Peaceful and Gorgeous

 It's a little difficult to estimate how long our walk at Culverhouse 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!

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Tips and Training

1.  Note to self, especially.  Never think that my cat will do the safe thing in a tricky situation - even if she ALWAYS has chosen wisely before in thatvery same situation.  Be prepared!  Even though ShiShi routinely avoids the barbed wire in our backyard bordering the old golf course, she managed to get the jump on me this time.

2.  This was only our second time letting the cats loose in the car while we drive.  We made the tricky decision to do this because they both seem so upset by the time that we get anywhere that it takes a while to have fun.  If we continue doing this though, we need to be sure to keep leashes on them both, with a non-driver in control.  Otherwise we end up with a cat sitting on the gas pedal...

3.  I've been thinking all along that our stroller helps Haku to feel safer on adventures.  More about that here.  What I didn't know was how distressed he would feel if he was walking, but either the stroller (or some portion of his family) got out of sight .  From now on, we'll make a concerted effort to stick together as a group when exploring with the cats.

4. Taking that stroller with us was a little awkward, but also the best thing ever for Haku.  I'd love to transfer a little of  his stroller confidence to a backpack, but for now I'm thinking that a pet jogging stroller is going to be the next step for us.

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