No ‘pawsing’ for Arlo the hiking pet pussy cat
VETERINARY NURSE Crissy Lister and gardner Marc Shaw are the proud parents of Halifax’s most adventurous feline.
The pair first discovered Arlo’s love of hiking during a three day camping trip to the Lake District, shortly after they adopted him.
“I was worried about leaving him at home without someone there full time, and Marc suggested we take him with us.
“We did a few trial walks to make sure he wasn’t scared outside and then finally on the big trip.
“He took to it amazingly and tried his best to walk up the entire of Scafell Pike, despite us trying to pick him up for rests. He slept the whole way down though,” said Crissy.
Since then, nine-month-old Arlo has ventured around the UK. Some of his usual walking routes include: Norland Moor, Scammonden, Ogden and Hardcastle Crags.
Crissy says that walking with a cat is very different to walking a dog.
“Sometimes he’s on a roll just walking, and other times he wants to stop and dig, or sniff things, climb trees, investigate. The pace is generally more relaxed and means that you get to take more of the scenery in.”
To ensure that Arlo is safe during his walks, he’s been trained to perch on shoulders.
“If we see something that might be unnerving or dangerous such as cyclists or dogs, we simply pick him up and put him on our shoulder, where he waits until its safe to jump back down.
“Arlo is on a lead at all times for his safety, not to imprison him. We are regularly miles away from home so it’s purely to ensure that no mishaps occur.”
Crissy believes that it is vital that you are patient when taking a cat out walking, and to gauge each cat on a case by case basis.
“Start off small, don’t force anything, ensure your cat has the right personality and have patience. You can’t force a cat to do something it doesn’t want to, but I do think indoor cats can benefit from safe experiences outside.”
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