Yes, I know! – Unusual – an eccentric idea but I still did it
When we moved to Cottage Grove my husband had long working hours, so I was lonely. The only way to solve the dilemma was adopting a dog, walk around town and "bump into" new friends. The only trouble was that we had four cats, and a dog was not in the immediate picture.
Then a flash idea came to solve the problem–walk the cats. Who could resist stopping to talk to someone walking gorgeous Silver Persian cats on a leash or riding pretty in a pet stroller!
We bought a blue pet stroller. I made cute H-harness vests and long-neon colored leashes in case a cat broke away while walking, I could follow the "flea"-ing flash of neon. (Which luckily, I never had to do!)
Soon, our indoor cats enjoyed their afternoon strolls around the neighborhood and into town. They sat upright peering out the cloth mesh that zipped them safely in the buggy. They watched birds, squirrels, and other cats and loved sniffing the air. Some took cat naps, but mostly they were fully engaged with all the new sights, sounds and smells.
Our daily strolls improved their "heart" health and mine. In more ways than I could have imagined, the walks expanded our world in other ways than just exercise.
Exercise time became fun. We were meeting lots of neighbors and the cats became local celebra-cats. Pet lovers, amazed pedestrians, tourists, teens, children and seniors stopped and talked to us. As we approached strangers there were no more of a slight tip of their heads and a "Have a nice day" conversation. Everyone dived into an excited conversation asking to know the cats' names, ages, breed and what we fed them and mostly why we were out walking. Some people
even wanted to know how to teach their cats to walk on a leash.
The cats walking through town brought smiles to everyone driving or walking by. When they were done with walking they easily jumped back into the stroller.
It did not take long and the cats knew their way home, no matter which direction we walked, even from a mile away. They negotiated the train tracks, parks, and wisely looked both ways before crossing a driveway or street. I had already purr-used the areas to make sure no loose dogs were ever seen on our walks.
My furry family led the way like a short-fluffy dog-sled team. Once a car gently bumped into another because the driver was rubber necking at the white-fur balls pulling the buggy down a quiet road. More times than I could count, drivers (even tourists) pulled over and asked to take a photo of a sight they had never seen before.
One of our best memories was of the owner of the French Café who loved cats. He always invited us in to give the kitties a slice of turkey. It did not take the cats long to figure out who had the best treats in town and they would pull me up the sidewalk and right into the open Café doorway to the delight of all the customers.
The funniest things I remember: walking by the carnival and several rough-looking carnies crossed the street over to our little-furry parade. These large bearded-tattooed men dissolved into smiles and declared that seeing cats walking like dogs on a leash was the most amazing thing that they had ever seen. Also, many people did not look close enough at the cats and said, "Your ‘dogs' are so pretty."
Who knew kitties would cure loneliness by introducing you to your neighbors while improving your health?
I bet you are wondering, "If you walk 10,000 steps a day, does that mean the cats walked 40,000 steps?"
