Adventurous Cats That Have a Better Social Life Than You Do As They Go Kayaking And Hiking
Cats usually keep their adventures close to home, but Moose and Duckie are living a much bigger life than most pets ever get. From hiking trails to kayak rides, these two kitties have turned everyday outings into a full-on travel routine.
Their owners, Anneka and Ryanne, share a Seattle home and a love of the outdoors, and Moose has clearly embraced the role of fearless sidekick. Duckie is still warming up to the whole adventure-cat lifestyle, but she is already tagging along in her own way.
Between the leash training, the rescue story, and the forest trips, this little family has plenty to keep them busy.
They say, “We are Moose’s second owners; his first owner was a friend of mine who was no longer able to take care of him. As for Duckie, her adoption happened so quickly! At the time, Moose was recovering from an injury he sustained after going missing for three days and was on bed rest for the next six weeks back in October. (That was the most stressful weekend of our lives). Moose would spend his days idly staring out the window or lying on his side. My partner, Ryanne, checks adoption sites daily for fun and brought a picture of a tiny tortie kitten from PAWS’ online website to my attention.”
That is how a quiet recovery turned into a new family member.
“Since we didn’t really have any plans that day, we decided to take a look around the adoption center and met Duckie for the first time! Her original name was Gingerbread Cookie, in honor of her beautiful orange and black fur. We instantly fell in love and signed the adoption papers that same day we went to just “look.” We thought it would be a great idea to keep Moose busy on bed rest with a new sibling. It turned out to be the best decision we made for our little family.”
It seems Moose was already destined to be an adventure cat, as his previous owner had been taking him out on a leash. She gave the gear to Ryanne and Anneka to continue his training. “At just ten weeks old, I put him in a small cat harness to help him get used to it,” says Anneka. “In the beginning, he slumped right over and didn’t move, but being a kitten, he soon forgot about the harness when it came time to play.”
And just like Malamute befriends Duck, following him around the local park and home, Moose and Duckie found their own hiking-and-kayaking routine.
Moose took to it faster than most cats would.
“We used the halls of our apartment complex to create a one-way stretch for him to walk down and explore on his own. I then attached the leash and held it loosely so it didn’t feel like there was any resistance against him walking. And the rest is history!”
He also joins his owners in a kayak, and Anneka says he’s completely comfortable observing the world from the water but slips down into the boat if he feels nervous or simply can’t be bothered.
Duckie is still getting used to adventure life, so Ryanne and Anneka have been helping her become comfortable with the great outdoors by carrying her in an “adventure bag” or on Ryanne’s back.
They say, though, “She’s definitely taken a liking to the outdoors and enjoys watching her brother walk on the forest floor while she stays dry in the bag.”
It may seem odd to many cat owners that Moose doesn’t run away during their hikes, but Ryanne and Anneka say that the cats have never tried to leave their side.
Anneka states, “Our cats have never intentionally run away, aside from darting out the door to eat some grass in our apartment complex. Moose did go missing for three days due to an injury he sustained while roaming outdoors on his own. It’s known that cats, if injured, will scurry away to safety to rest until they feel healed enough.”
“Moose was found by our neighbors walking down the street, trying to get back to our house. I immediately picked him up and pulled Ryanne from work to rush him to the hospital. We were both hysterical from searching every night in pitch-black darkness, desperately trying to find him. He had a dislocated and fractured hip, along with a laceration on his tail. Since then, Moose has made a full recovery and shows that not even an injury will stop him from the adventures that await him.”
The longest trek Moose has done so far has been four hours, and he’s hiked everything from snowy mountains to deserts.
Anneka says, “Duckie, being new to adventuring, took some time before she used the outdoors as her litter box. While exploring the snow-covered ground, Duckie took 20 minutes to find the right spot to turn the snow from white to yellow!”
Moose and Duckie are clearly not ordinary house cats.
Moose’s “second owner” story about a missing injury pairs perfectly with cat duos bonding so hard you’ll want to adopt another feline immediately.
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