I got my first cat, Lynx in 2010 and in a desperate attempt to desensitise him to two dogs by taking them all for walks together, accidentally turned him into an off-leash adventure (basically just taking walks with me on our rural property).
I made a short video about him, showing what it's like to go "cat walking" (he protects me from snakes). Heehee.
I eventually got Alfie in 2018, but this time from all the learnings decided to intentionally train him to be an adventure cat I could take off the property (Lynx is not interested in exploring outside his territory). Alfie was brave for the first two weeks I got him before his fear instincts kicked in, but is a skittish cat by nature. Still, withing 6 weeks I had a beach loving cat...
Here's a video of Alfie becoming a beach cat.
I get stopped while out with Alfie all the time asking how I did it. And really I did the same training as I would've for a nervous/ flighty dog who wasn't food motivated. And it made me question everything I thought I knew about cats. So I decided to pass on my learnings/ techniques to two other cat owners... They applied them and they too - now have adventure cats they can take off leash.... so now I know it's not Alfie, or me. It's the principals & techniques!
Which lead me to create this video to which asks if we should be training and socialising cats like we do for dogs?
All I know is the accidental exercise 8 years ago to help get two working dogs to like a kitten sparked me on an unexpected journey. One that asks - have we ever unlocked our cats true potential with the lifestyle we've given them? Maybe, they are the true man's best friend of the modern ages. Compact, independant, yet able to go wherever the owners go... And enjoy it.
What are your thoughts?
I made a short video about him, showing what it's like to go "cat walking" (he protects me from snakes). Heehee.
I eventually got Alfie in 2018, but this time from all the learnings decided to intentionally train him to be an adventure cat I could take off the property (Lynx is not interested in exploring outside his territory). Alfie was brave for the first two weeks I got him before his fear instincts kicked in, but is a skittish cat by nature. Still, withing 6 weeks I had a beach loving cat...
Here's a video of Alfie becoming a beach cat.
I get stopped while out with Alfie all the time asking how I did it. And really I did the same training as I would've for a nervous/ flighty dog who wasn't food motivated. And it made me question everything I thought I knew about cats. So I decided to pass on my learnings/ techniques to two other cat owners... They applied them and they too - now have adventure cats they can take off leash.... so now I know it's not Alfie, or me. It's the principals & techniques!
Which lead me to create this video to which asks if we should be training and socialising cats like we do for dogs?
All I know is the accidental exercise 8 years ago to help get two working dogs to like a kitten sparked me on an unexpected journey. One that asks - have we ever unlocked our cats true potential with the lifestyle we've given them? Maybe, they are the true man's best friend of the modern ages. Compact, independant, yet able to go wherever the owners go... And enjoy it.
What are your thoughts?
