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You Can Take Them With You If They Want To Go Too

894 views 21 replies 13 participants last post by  bluecordelia 
#1 · (Edited)
I have seen a few posts about pet parents taking their cat companions along on walks or to the shops, etc.
I wanted to share that from time to time I also do this but in a different way and only if they want to.
I have a clear see-through back-pack that is specifically made for this purpose. No issues with any cut off of air. So when the weather is nice and my outing will not be too long this is what I use. Such fun and a great way for me and my fur-baby to share more experiences together. My little girl (very tiny) just loves it. Whenever she spots me taking it out of the closet she meows and twirls around wanting to go for a walk.
You can just search "clear back packs to carry cats" on your search engine to find them.
I have attached a picture of the type I use.
 

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#3 ·
I would think a lot of cats would find being constrained like that while experiencing lots of surprising stimuli rather distressing.

My cats do love to come for walks with me on our property, but they are outside cats who are comfortable out in the woods. They'll come down to the creek with us and follow us about. It's very sweet, and they clearly enjoy the time with us :)

I did have one crazy cat who loved car rides and outings which I discovered taking him to the vet. Even he would not have liked a backpack though because he wanted to be out and inspecting everything. He was such a character!
 
#5 ·
I guess it's fair to say that a lot of cats are different... some will like something like this and others won't. We do have a backpack, admittedly I was gifted it so I'm not sure if I necessarily would have purchased it. However, the tonks do seem to enjoy it, and will voluntarily jump in and they seem OK when I have wandered out briefly with them in it. I've only taken them to places I would take them on a harness and leash though. Ours is definitely roomy enough to sit down in and move around in quite freely. It can fit 3 tonks in side by side.

I appreciate not every cat would like it, but since I posted some pics I do know other tonk owners who have purchased them and found their cats like them too... maybe tonks are special though :)
 
#8 ·
I guess it's fair to say that a lot of cats are different... some will like something like this and others won't. We do have a backpack, admittedly I was gifted it so I'm not sure if I necessarily would have purchased it. However, the tonks do seem to enjoy it, and will voluntarily jump in and they seem OK when I have wandered out briefly with them in it. I've only taken them to places I would take them on a harness and leash though. Ours is definitely roomy enough to sit down in and move around in quite freely. It can fit 3 tonks in side by side.

I appreciate not every cat would like it, but since I posted some pics I do know other tonk owners who have purchased them and found their cats like them too... maybe tonks are special though :)
 
#7 ·
I’ve seen quite a lot of videos with cats in these (or similar). I have to say they don’t seem distressed and look like they are enjoying it. One video prompted me to wonder if I could walk Oscar to the beach, after they went to the beach with their cat in one of these and then put the cat on a harness...but we decided the usual 90 second walk would take more like an hour with all the sniffing ;)

I could almost bet my house that Oscar wouldn’t go for one of these but I’m sure some would.
 
#9 ·
I think it's good that the OP qualified the title of this thread with "If they want to go too."

My worry would be how observant cat owners would be to their cat's distress. Certainly not so much on here as most people who go to the effort to join a forum to talk about nothing but cats are going to be slightly more obsessed than the average owner, but most cat owners I know don't pay that close attention to how their cat is feeling, and if the cat happens to be the type who goes in to shut-down mode under too much stress (as many do), I would worry that the owner would misinterpret that quiet passiveness as acceptance or even enjoyment.

Add in that in a backpack the cat is behind you where you quite literally cannot see how they are doing, that adds to my hesitation in endorsing anything like this.
 
#12 ·
I think it's good that the OP qualified the title of this thread with "If they want to go too."

My worry would be how observant cat owners would be to their cat's distress. Certainly not so much on here as most people who go to the effort to join a forum to talk about nothing but cats are going to be slightly more obsessed than the average owner, but most cat owners I know don't pay that close attention to how their cat is feeling, and if the cat happens to be the type who goes in to shut-down mode under too much stress (as many do), I would worry that the owner would misinterpret that quiet passiveness as acceptance or even enjoyment.

Add in that in a backpack the cat is behind you where you quite literally cannot see how they are doing, that adds to my hesitation in endorsing anything like this.
I have to admit the times i have used it it's always been with both myself and my husband so keeping an eye on whoever is in the backpack.

We also only go around our garden and part way up our very quiet road.

Our cats are the type that like being carried around in their carriers as well though. Like they will run from the other side of the house to get in them when they hear the door open.
 
#10 ·
Oh yes, each and every cat is unique and that is such a special thing about them. My little girl (she just had her 9th birthday on June 2nd) is a tiny little thing. She is an American Curl and weighs all of 2.5kg although she likes to think of herself as much bigger and much tougher. My carrier has a great deal of room. Sometimes she lays down and sometimes she sees something that sparks her interest and she stands up to show off. Our walks are short as well and only when the temperature is cool outside. But when she sees the carrier she is just so happy thinking she is going out. She meows so loudly hops right into it and looks at me as if to say, "come on already, let's go." Actually I have to keep the closet door where I store it closed so she doesn't get excited by seeing it and then she doesn't get her walk. Definitely not for every cat. It has to be their choice and not ours. But my little lady sure does enjoy it.
 
#14 ·
I think some breeds would be much more open to this experience than the average moggy! If you have a house cat who is calm and confident around new people, it might be a fun way for them to get some fresh air by coming on your travels with you, to the local shops or park perhaps. But for an independent type who likes to go out and about, probably not a good idea!
 
#16 ·
To be fair I think Flint would adore something like this. He gets in the cat box on his own when he has to go to the vets or cattery. Purrs all the way there dangling his paws out of the mesh. However the Siameses would utterly utterly hate it. Parsnip loathes being in the cat box and Cosmo, while less bothered than Parsnip, is still worried by being out and about.
 
#21 ·
Mie travelled halfway around Europe in a backpack and loved every minute. I brought blankets to cover him if seeing things was too distressing... When I did, he wailed until I took them off. I also packed a Sturdi carrier in case he'd prefer the familiar. Again, when he knew the backpack was on offer, lots of shouting until he got put back in it. It's equally as short sighted to say they're terrible, as it is to asy that every cat will like them.
 
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