<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div><span></span></div><div><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div></div><div><a rel="nofollow" class="outbound_link" target="_blank" href="http://www.fark.com/goto/8851961/www.mnn.com/family/pets/stories/take-your-cat-excellent-adventure" style="max-height: 1000000px; text-decoration: none; height: 19px; vertical-align: middle; display: block !important;"><font color="#000000"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I think I got them links right and proper this time, V-peeps.</span></font></a></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Courtesy of <i>Mother Nature Network</i> at:</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><a href="http://www.mnn.com/family/pets/stories/take-your-cat-excellent-adventure" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font color="#000000">http://www.mnn.com/family/pets/stories/take-your-cat-excellent-adventure</font></a></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">--------------------------------------</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><h1 style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><font size="3"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Take your cat on an excellent adventure</span></font></h1><h2 class="subhead hidden-xs" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 500; margin-top: 0px !important; margin-bottom: 25px !important;"><font size="3"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">New site offers tips for exploring the great outdoors with your best feline friend.</span></font></h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Who said dogs should have all the fun?</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Plenty of cats aren't content to <a href="http://www.mnn.com/family/pets/blogs/26-photos-of-cats-sleeping-wherever-they-want-however-they-want" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;">lie sleepily on a window ledge</a> while the family heads off hiking. With a little (OK, maybe a lot) of preparation, you can take your feline friend on outdoor excursions with you.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"You see cats climbing, hiking and camping and think that's something you totally <a href="http://www.mnn.com/family/pets/stories/how-to-hike-with-your-dog-tips-rules-and-great-gear" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;">do with your dog. </a>But it's something you can do with your cat, too. It's just people look at you a lot more strangely."</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">So says MNN's Laura Moss, who has written about <a href="http://www.mnn.com/family/pets/stories/how-to-hike-with-your-cat" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;">hiking with cats,</a> as well as probably the most famous adventure kitty, <a href="http://www.mnn.com/family/pets/stories/shelter-cat-makes-perfect-rock-climbing-partner" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;">Craig Armstrong's rock-climbing cat Millie.</a></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Moss, who has two rescue cats and a dog of her own, decided to combine her love of cats with her love of the great outdoors. But when she went online to look for resources about how she could train her kitties to walk on a harness outdoors and tips for turning them into hiking companions, she didn't find much. That's how she came to create <a href="http://www.adventurecats.org/" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;">AdventureCats.org</a>. The site will launch shortly, but you can follow the <a href="https://instagram.com/adventurecatsorg/" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;">Instagram</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AdventureCatsorg" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;">Facebook</a> accounts, which are filled with people and their pets fine tuning their outdoor skills.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">was overwhelmed. I kind of thought there were a lot of people and cats who did this, but I didn’t realize there were so many," says Moss. "There are people riding bikes or canoeing or kayaking with their cats or taking them camping. I think that's why people are so interested. They also didn’t know you could do all those things with a cat."</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Moss hopes that AdventureCats will become a resource for pet owners who want to learn how to safely take their cats with them into the great outdoors. That includes information on everything from basic training and fitting a harness to determining if your cat even has the right personality for these kind of adventures. There will also be profiles of cats and their owners who have mastered the whole amazing journeys thing. Plus, Moss hopes the site will help break down <a href="http://www.mnn.com/family/pets/stories/its-time-to-smash-the-crazy-cat-lady-stereotype" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;">negative stereotypes about cats and their owners</a> — and maybe even lead to more adoptions.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Posts show cats lazing about in campsite hammocks, drinking from mountain streams, riding in backpacks, and having fun in canoes and kayaks.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"While cats have a reputation as being lazy and aloof, there are actually plenty of badass cats out there that will join you on the trail, scale mountains and even go for a dip," says Moss. "These are the kitties we want to spotlight."</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Getting started on cat-friendly adventures</strong></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Before Moss ever took her cats outside, she taught them some simple commands. Most importantly, she taught them to come when she called their names.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"More people have ideas how to train a dog, but not how to train a cat. But it's not all that different," she says. "I was wary taking them outdoors the first time. I wanted to train them to come in case they got out of the harness or got spooked and got away."</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">When she was ready to take her cat, Sirius, outside, Moss says he was excited but cautious. He stayed low to the ground with wide-eyed excitement and was a big fan of checking out the grass. When they went back inside, he scratched the door to go back out. She's doing the same with her other cat, Fiver.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">If you don't see similar innate curiosity in your cat, he or she may not be cut out for a great outside adventure.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"It's completely normal for your cat to be timid and scared for the first time, but if he's absolutely terrified, then don't force it," Moss suggests.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Some cats, she admits, might be content to watch the world go by from a perch at the window.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Even if you do convince your feline companion to become an outdoor lover, you never know what kind of adventurer you're going to get, says Moss.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"Not all cats will <a href="http://www.mnn.com/family/pets/stories/how-to-turn-a-dog-walk-into-a-dog-challenge" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none;">walk like a dog</a>. Some cats just meander around for a little bit and then want to call it a day."</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">--------------------</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Photos . . .</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><a href="http://www.MoscowCares.com/Caturday/Caturday_091215_01.jpg">http://www.MoscowCares.com/Caturday/Caturday_091215_01.jpg</a></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><a href="http://www.MoscowCares.com/Caturday/Caturday_091215_02.jpg">http://www.MoscowCares.com/Caturday/Caturday_091215_02.jpg</a></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><a href="http://www.MoscowCares.com/Caturday/Caturday_091215_03.jpg">http://www.MoscowCares.com/Caturday/Caturday_091215_03.jpg</a></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><a href="http://www.MoscowCares.com/Caturday/Caturday_091215_04.jpg">http://www.MoscowCares.com/Caturday/Caturday_091215_04.jpg</a></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><a href="http://www.MoscowCares.com/Caturday/Caturday_091215_05.jpg">http://www.MoscowCares.com/Caturday/Caturday_091215_05.jpg</a></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"></p></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">--------------------------------------<br><br></span><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Seeya 'round town, Moscow, because . . .</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"Moscow Cares" (the most fun you can have with your pants on)</span></div><div><a href="http://www.moscowcares.com/" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font color="#000000">http://www.MoscowCares.com</font></a></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></div><div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Tom Hansen</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Moscow, Idaho</span></div></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"Time spent with cats is never wasted."</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">- Sigmund Freud</span></div></div></div></body></html>