Woman decides to take her cute cat on her errands all the time

The woman states on Reddit.com that her "final form" is to take her cat on errands all the time. I take this to mean that she has firmly decided that the final version of her, in respect of her relationship with her cat companion, is to take the cutie on her daily errands. This is a brave move. 

I took my cat to all my errands today and I think that’s just how I’m going to live my life from now on 😂 crazy cat lady final form.

Provided she is careful to ensure that her cat does not get into any trouble, it's a good idea. I am one of those people who believe that too many domestic cats are too often bored because of a lack of stimulation which arises out of the simple fact that they are cared for and therefore do not have an outlet for their desire to hunt for a living.

Walking your cat on a lead outside, if that's possible and often it isn't, and in this instance carrying your cat into the local DIY store can work wonders to stimulate your cat. There are potential pitfalls and dangers obviously. Cats can be scared under the circumstances. They can wriggle out of their harness. They can disappear and become lost. You just have to take precautions. 

What about an unexpected encounter with a dog? You need a safety procedure prepared to deal with the unexpected and dangerous.

I bet that this woman gets into a lot of conversations with people that she would otherwise not have ended up talking to. That's a positive spin-off. It is very unusual for a person to do this.

I can remember Taylor Swift carrying her Scottish Fold companion cat under her arm like an accessory as she 'swiftly' walked from a building down some steps. A good picture with good and bad points.

Taylor Swift walks out of her apartment into NYC with her cat under her arm. Image: Twitter.

You have to be careful that you don't treat your cat as an accessory to your lifestyle. I'm not saying that Taylor Swift was doing that. She is a good if not excellent cat caregiver. But you know that those images of celebrities carrying their miniature dogs under their arms don't really tick the boxes when it comes to dog caregiving. For me, the relationship has gone a little awry.

For a full-time indoor cat, a walk on the leash in the garden will be thoroughly enjoyed

This is about providing your cat with an enriched environment. Something as simple as walking your cat around the front or backyard of your home once a day for, say, 20 minutes will be something that your cat can look forward to if she/he is a full-time indoor cat. 

It really doesn't have to be something exotic and clever. It's just allowing your cat to 'connect' with nature as best you can achieve it. This will be in stark contrast to being inside the home which is entirely artificial and the human world.

For a full-time indoor cat, a walk on the leash in the garden will be thoroughly enjoyed. Photo: Getty Images (harpazo_hope) 

There is a good example of this on the Internet right now from The Guardian newspaper. Interestingly, it concerns a family living in the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. We know how sensitive the Australian government and indeed Australian citizens are to the predation of native species by domestic cats. This man, James Shackell, decided he wanted to enrich his cat's life, so the benefits of wildlife conservation was a secondary matter.

As expected, it took a while for his cat, Monkey, to adjust to wearing a harness because they almost invariably cause a cat to flop over on their side and become totally passive and immobilised. It is as if they have been zapped with a taser. But bit-by-bit they get used to it and are able to walk fairly normally when wearing one.

And so with patience James took Monkey out to his front garden and over time Monkey learned to love it and he would encourage James to take him out. It has become a daily ritual and whenever he grabs the lead Monkey trills and purrs and runs to the front door "like an excited puppy". Great to see. You know you are doing well as a cat guardian when you see that feline behavior.

I would expect his front garden not to be an enormous 'domain' of several acres but quite small but it is large enough for a domestic cat to enjoy smelling the earth, the grass and the scents that waft in on the breeze. And to feel the earth and grass under his paws is a great experience for an indoor cat.

The point of this brief note is to say that something as simple and is easy to do as this will have great benefits to a full-time indoor cat and therefore it should be done if at all possible. I am passionate about trying to encourage people to ensure that their cat enjoys nature. It will be a compromise, as demonstrated by the arrangements of James, but this is far better than nothing at all.

One downside which he has got used to is that his neighbours think that he is eccentric. It's funny but people do see cats on leashes and cats in strollers as very strange. This is because it is still very rare and a lot of people have preconceived views about domestic gas being independent and free roaming. 

Both the cat stroller and the cat leash are excellent tools to work out a compromise to allowing a cat to behave naturally while protecting them from injury and protecting nature from the predatory instinct of this beloved animal companion.

P.S. An alternative is to build a large backyard enclosure but that is far more expensive and intrusive. It is still a good idea though if you are up to the disruption. It will hard though to convert a free-roaming cat to a confined cat. Be prepared for difficulties and/or failure.