The Cat Adventure Mistake

Cat Mom Confession

Crazy Cat Mom – is that really a thing?  And is it affecting my brain?  Sometimes I definitely have to wonder. 

For instance, a few days ago I had a truly brilliant (I thought!) idea.  Because the kitties seem to do so well adventuring as a team when we take them on big park adventures, I thought that I’d take them out the same way for a neighborhood walk. 

 I usually try to get our cats outside for a walk of some sort 3-4 times a week.  Unfortunately, at the last minute there was no family help available for our little adventure.   Did I abort the plan and play Tricks Fur Treats  instead?  No! This Crazy Cat Lady decided to take them out on the walk by herself.

What was I thinking?! Until I find a better explanation, I’m blaming it on toxoplasmosis, probably contracted as a tiny child.  After all, I have adored cats my entire life and so far exhibit no signs of losing that love and obsession.  Admittedly, there’s no actual science that I know of confirming this effect on the human brain, but I’m  willing to use it as my best excuse for the hot mess I got us into - it's otherwise impossible to explain.

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Get a Cat Stroller!

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For this ridiculous adventure, I decided to walk down to the nearby Turtle Bridge with the cats, while wearing them in tandem backpacks.  Because, remember, toxoplasmosis.  Note to self  ** Get A Cat Stroller!!!**  

ShiShi and Haku both  normally enjoy visiting the bridge – it’s  a quiet and somewhat isolated spot despite being located in the middle of our busy neighborhood, and there are tons of interesting things to look at, smell and poke around in.  I was optimistic that both cats might be ready to walk all the way home – they’ve each done this in the past.

Unfortunately, despite the setting sun, it was still incredibly humid and hot outside (typical mid-summer Florida) and packing that extra 25 pounds down the sidewalk was a bit more work than I had bargained for.  Then, to add to the misery, about three seconds after I let the kitties out of their packs at the bridge for their explore time - BAM, the loudest mower I've ever heard started blaring away in the background.  I mean, really?  The adventure  was starting to feel more like torture.

Somewhat ironically, the local birds didn’t seem to mind either us or the mower at all – a lovely stork, an egret and a grey heron were all congregated at the far end of the bridge, watching us intently.  The kitties, however, were NOT impressed with the company.  Those birds are all larger than most cats, and neither of the kitties was going anywhere near those beaks!  ShiShi seeemed to think briefly about it, probably because she is so insatiably curious, but even she quickly turned around.  Haku was too busy contemplating the fastest route home to even be bothered.

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Not Quite Cat-astrophic

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By this point (perhaps 15 minutes into the whole experience), ShiShi and I were both pretty much done with the evening adventure too.  Haku was thrilled to pull us both off the bridge, and I barely had time to grab the packs as he yanked us along the path toward home.

Honestly, I think both kitties had a better time once we were off the bridge and away from the birds.  We slow-poked our way home, and even said hello to a very nice lady who stopped to pet Haku.  He walked right over as soon as he saw her, while ShiShi stayed back and hidden in the tall grass. 

No surprises there – Haku loves everyone he meets.  ShiShi, on the other hand, could easily be better known as Miss Cautious when it comes to meeting new people.  After all that craziness,  eventually we made it home.  There was just enough time to play a nice round of Tricks Fur Treats, and cool off in the AC before snuggles and bedtime.

Lessons learned?
1.  Check the outdoor temperature before taking the cats out for a walk.
2.  Never be crazy enough to wear two Cat Packs at one time.
3.  Start a savings fund for that cat stroller!

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