Tuesday 12 August 2008

Cat Stroller

cat stroller
Cat Stroller photo by ehavir

Never thought about them, never knew about them

I have never seen one in action, but a Cat Stroller could be one way to get our cats out of the house safely. If we combine a pet stroller with a cat enclosure we are maximizing our cat's lifestyle. This post is a voyage of discovery for me. Update: I bought one years later and still have it and use it! :) Click this link to read about it if you think it might interest you. This is my girlfriend with the stroller by the Thames River. I took the picture.

Cat Stroller and Girlfriend

Cat strollers must be used far more in the USA than the UK or in Europe because as I said I have never seen them. I've seen some cats on leashes. There is a Siamese cat that walks around the back garden of this block of flats on a leash, very sedately and ladylike. I've seen a cat on a leash on a busy Paris street in the 1970s when I lived there; very brave, I thought, and quite eye catching.

People search for Pampered Pet Strollers, pink pet strollers, a double pet stroller, a Jeep pet stroller, a Four Paws pet stroller and so on. There are a lot of manufacturers making these but I never see them.

It took me a while to figure out what it actually was. I think this is because it is a kind of "pram", a child's pram. I'm not sure that the word "pram" is used in the US, I think not. So, a stroller is probably more a US term (wrong?). So, a pet stroller for us Brits is a "pet pram", which actually sounds more interesting. I think in this country we use the term "stroller" for a pram for bigger children. Another term would be "buggy".

RELATED: Picture of a cat stroller with cat by a river.

cat stroller
Cat Stroller - photo by jesshibb
The thing is, how can you get a cat to use one? A dog, I can see using one as this is more their style, particularly if the dog is small. But cats; my first thought is no, it wouldn't work. But for an old cat that used to go out but can't so much it might work. It may even work for a defensive nervous cat but I am not sure (see "privacy parlor" below). A nervous cat might want to escape the stroller and get stressed nullifying the whole point of the exercise. Then again, some cats simply don't mind being caged for a while and looking out. It's really guess work, until we try.

But looking at the pictures published on this page (which are published here under a creative commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License), I'm beginning to think differently. In fact, it is very nice of people to take their cat for walk like this, to stimulate the cat's brain and keep him/her mentally active. I'm warming to this and I can see my cat actually liking it. I could take her with me when I go across the park to get the morning paper.

The best and most practical way, it seems, to me would be to train our cats from an early age to use a pet or cat stroller, but I am sure that this rarely if ever happens. By the way people search for a Pampered pet stroller. Is a "Pampered Pet Stroller" a brand of stroller or just a device that pampers a pet? I think that I may have just found the answer (stress "may"). There is a business called "Pampurred Pets". So, people who search for Pampered Pet Strollers probably mean Pampurred Pets, which is a UK company with a large number of large shops in the south and south west of England.

RELATED: Jennifer Garner, actress and entrepreneur pushes her cat in a stroller.

On the basis that we can get our cats to use a pet stroller, do we have the courage to use one? From a personal point of view, I might feel a bit foolish, at least at first. But you know that is my problem, which shouldn't get in the way of giving me the best possible life experiences. Anyway, I might feel stupid until people came up to me and looked into what they thought was an unusual child's pram and saw ah, no a cat. Gosh that's a funny looking child! Great way to meet people.

Maybe on a more philosophical level a Pampered pet stroller is a good thing as in using it we are treating a cat as a human, to the same high standard of care and that is the kind of care I like to see. However, I've just seen one Flickr photographer's caption to a photograph of a cat in a stroller. It says, "Lazy bastards". Amusing, but I wonder if that is the impression we might give if we go out with a cat in a cat stroller? You know what I mean, over pampered pet, slightly crazy people? I'm not sure.

cat in cat stroller
Cat stroller in Central Park - photo by bnittoli.

The photographer's caption to the photo left reads, "random strange sighting in central park". That's the point I am making. It does look a bit strange. But in a quite hostile world for the domestic cat the stroller and a cat enclosure seem the only practical answer.

Some (perhaps all?) pet strollers can be converted to pet carriers by detaching the cat stroller frame and wheels making the device more useful. If you're thinking of getting a carrier, think stroller!! No I'm not getting a commission.

What does a cat stroller cost and where can you buy them?

I've just seen an American website (http://justpetstrollers.com/) that specializes in pet strollers. I like their Kittywalk Blue Fifth Avenue model at $199 including shipping at the date of this post. It is designed to take a pet of no more than 25 lbs in weight. The only cats of that kind of weight are F1 Savannah cats and a Savannah cat is not, in my opinion suited to a cat stroller, maybe a leash though. (go to Largest Domestic Cat Breed).

It looks nice and functional and not too much like a child's stroller. I'd prefer that as people might think you're a bit crazy if you put a cat in a child's stroller (pram). It looks lightweight and it can be folded as well. It is nice an open and suited for cats that like to watch lying down. There is also a "privacy parlor" (love that phrase). This is a curtained off area where our cat can seek some privacy if it all gets too much. You'll see the same kind of thing at cat shows when the show cats are in their pens waiting to be taken to the show ring. This company do a wide range of dog and cat strollers (the same thing).

In the UK a business called PretaPet (http://www.pretapet.com) do a pet stroller but this looks more suitable for a dog and for the animal to look out of the top window he/she would have to be quite a tall animal, probably a dog. Price: £61 at the time of this post.

Another UK business is http://www.roofrackshop.co.uk. Their pet strollers are I think more suited to dogs too and look (for me) too much like a child's pram. Prices are in the mid £50s.

Conclusion

Let's throw away our pride, our self-consciousness and do what is best for our cat. If we think a cat stroller would improve her life, let's get one and meet people.

Pampered Pet Stroller to Home page

8 comments:

  1. I was looking for pet strollers when I stumbled upon your site. You have a nice site here. I will be saving this page to my favorites for sure.

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  2. Hi, Thanks for the comment. It is very welcome.

    Michael

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  3. If you're looking for a cat stroller from a UK supplier try a visit to paw-thing's 'go-pet' cat strollers.

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  4. Hi - like your site. Interesting topic isn't it. I feel the same way and was trying to buy one for my cats on idea of "need" rather than "want". There is a Double Decker cat stroller that is basically a cart on wheels with 2 rather large, removable carriers that would be ideal for carrying my several cats to the Vet in fewer trips. But first go at buying one has been a disaster, so if you don't mind, I'd like to share my experience with you and your readers.

    I ordered a Double Decker stroller from Allpetstrollers.com but they sent the wrong product. Ok...so I called them let them and so far everything is fine...they apologize and told me that they would send me a return authorizatin number in a few days. Good...thought my problem was solved...NOT. Didn't receive the return authorization. Tried again...and again...same conversation everytime. After several phone calls and emails, I was unable to get any assistance in having this company pickup the wrong stroller (which was a single carrier) and send me the correct stroller. Has been over a month now with no success. Customer service agent (only one agent handled the phones who could barely speack any English) was very dismissive and patronizing even though it was their mistake. I wasn't asking for a refund but an exchange for the product I paid for. I received no assistance at all with this process. Now I'm stuck with a product I didn't want and that can barely meet my needs considering I have 7 cats (mostly strays) that will need transportation to and from the Vet for required, state mandated medical services. I would advise strongly against ordering from this company for anything. It's just not worth the risk considering there are so many other companies out their that offer the same products. The company information is as follows:
    email: allpetstroller@yahoo.com
    By standard mail: Factory Direct Wholesale, LLC
    1268 Old Alpharetta Road
    Alpharetta, GA 30005
    By phone:770-346-8653 (between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. eastern time zone)

    Now, I am without the number of carriers I required due to their oversight and with the care of so many animals, this was money I could have used elsewhere for their care. It's hard enough on those willing to take care of strays and other animals without companies or people like this.

    May God Bless you and all his precious animals!!!

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  5. Hei! I was recently at a pet show just 40 minutes north of Oslo when I first saw the pet pram/stroller/buggy. The woman pushing the pram had a rather elegant and disinterested Siamese inside who was obviously quite used to it. The woman said she had purchased the pram/stroller in Britain. The pet pram has provoked a sort of cognitive "ah-ha" which could make it possible for us to live with a feline again. I volunteer at a cat rescue shelter which has a strict policy about NOT adopting out cats who will not be allowed access to the outdoors. Of course this is an outdated and dangerous policy but its hard to change a nation wide fallacy. In any case there is a cat at the shelter to whom I have developed a bit of an attachment and would like to adopt but we live in a flat/apt/ block with no balcony/terrace as such. Thus I have begun to consider alternatives--not just because I want to adopt a particular cat, but because I want to change the way in which I think about the quality of life for a feline living in a city. I realise this is a long story, and perhaps a bit boring; and then again, it could be useful! I have bookmarked your blog and will share it with friends who share the mindset that cats are not safe running free in the city.

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  6. Are pleased to re-visit your blog, from which I learned a lot of knowledge, and totally agree with your point of view, I hope you can be the exhibitions, once again thank you for sharing such a wonderful text. I will wait to see what's! Thank you!i love Best Pram very much .

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  7. These are odd things to have i thought that only babies are allowed to strollers even the cats and dogs also.

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  8. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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