- Joined
- Aug 28, 2019
- Messages
- 601
- Purraise
- 17
We get more rain than snow here in the winter. I wasn't sure what Willow would think about it, but decided not to cancel our Sunday hike since she showed curiousity, rather than fear, about a damp place in one of our regular haunts and didn't seem to mind getting her feet muddy.
It was just a brief introduction, but she did fantastic! She's comfortable wearing clothes, so she had no problem with my putting a raincoat on her when we stopped for lunch. I was concerned about kitty claws damaging my own raingear, but something about the texture didn't appeal to her or something so she didn't dig in and used the same velvet paws that she does on naked shoulders.
She walked for a bit, sat on my shoulders for a bit, and when she had enough, she was perfectly fine being put into the cat sling under my raincoat for the trip back to the trailhead and was even purring and making biscuits on my chest.
I'm wondering if anyone else here takes their cats hiking in the rain and can give me advice about rain gear and how to keep this fun for Willow. I'm not sure whether booties would be more trouble than they are worth. I do have an astronaut style backpack on order from eBay that could keep her dry for short hikes if I can get the dogs to carry some of our gear but I'm concerned about her getting enough exercise and mental stimulation if we go that route.
We have a similar style of carrier that fits over my shoulder like a purse and she did fantastic exploring a new town in it. She knows that it is her "safe place" and got back into it when she felt uncomfortable on leash.
I've mostly had indoor-only cats before. This kitten is taking to an adventuring very easily and needs to adjust from being outdoor-only. I appreciate your advice.
It was just a brief introduction, but she did fantastic! She's comfortable wearing clothes, so she had no problem with my putting a raincoat on her when we stopped for lunch. I was concerned about kitty claws damaging my own raingear, but something about the texture didn't appeal to her or something so she didn't dig in and used the same velvet paws that she does on naked shoulders.
She walked for a bit, sat on my shoulders for a bit, and when she had enough, she was perfectly fine being put into the cat sling under my raincoat for the trip back to the trailhead and was even purring and making biscuits on my chest.
I'm wondering if anyone else here takes their cats hiking in the rain and can give me advice about rain gear and how to keep this fun for Willow. I'm not sure whether booties would be more trouble than they are worth. I do have an astronaut style backpack on order from eBay that could keep her dry for short hikes if I can get the dogs to carry some of our gear but I'm concerned about her getting enough exercise and mental stimulation if we go that route.
We have a similar style of carrier that fits over my shoulder like a purse and she did fantastic exploring a new town in it. She knows that it is her "safe place" and got back into it when she felt uncomfortable on leash.
I've mostly had indoor-only cats before. This kitten is taking to an adventuring very easily and needs to adjust from being outdoor-only. I appreciate your advice.