Meet Curie
Hi everyone, my name is Brandaise and I’m Curie the Adventure Cat’s mom! My love of cats goes way back to my childhood, having grown up in a rural area where there were always plenty of barn cats to love on. One of my best friends was a large (pushing 15+ pounds) grey tabby shorthair named Bobby Bob or Bob for short. He was a friendly, loving cat who was outdoors only but that didn’t stop him from loving to go on adventures with me and my family. He was famous for walking about 10 minutes and then riding my shoulders like an expensive fur scarf for the rest of the hike. Fast forward to summer of 2020 when I was at a point in my life where I can finally adopt a new fur baby, this time a spoiled indoor cat who I can explore and adventure with outdoors.
I began my kitten search on all the local shelter and humane society pages, keeping my eyes open for any that caught my eye. And then I saw the mischievous little face of Curie. There wasn’t much information on her adoption page other than the typical age, weight, and pertinent medical history, so when I went to meet Curie (then named Strausser) I wasn’t sure what to expect in terms of personality. Boy was I surprised! Curie was in a foster home with 2 other adult cats and 3 kittens…she was by FAR the most rambunctious of the kittens. The first kitten was very shy and hid away in another room. The second kitten was very lovable and cuddly. The third kitten was sprinting around the room, chasing her foster siblings, attacking toys, and climbing as high as she could on the cat tree. It was this bold and active personality that drew me to the adorable Curie! She was friendly enough that I knew she would be cuddly in her own way, but that she would surely have the energy to keep up on adventures.
I began harness and leash training tiny 3-month-old Curie the first week that I brought her home. She adjusted to the new place quickly so I had no doubts that she would adjust to the harness training quickly as well! She was so small that the smallest harness I could find was still a little large and loose on her at its smallest setting. I kept up the training indoors for about a month before I took Curie outside with me for the first time. It was a short walk to our mailbox (less than half a kilometer total distance) through a parking and some sidewalks that are frequented by our doggie neighbors. It was rough! Curie was stressed by the newness of outside, the loud noises of cars, people walking 50 meters away, seemingly everything made her want to escape the harness and bolt for home. I calmed her by holding her and letting her “hide” in my arms. Shortly after that first walk, I purchased a cat backpack for Curie to have as a safe-space while we are outside.
Backpack training was tough at first as well, because Curie was not super fond of being confined in a small space, even with the top of the bag open. However, I left the bag open/available to her at home with treats in it now and then so that she would associate good things with the bag. Now, she loves playing and walking on hikes until she gets stressed (typically strangers or dogs) and she lets me know she wants to hop in the bag. Currently, Curie and I are still working on being bolder around strangers and dogs. We do this by going to a large park in our city and setting up an area to explore that is relatively far away from the strangers so that Curie can see and acknowledge them without having to be up close and personal. When we do pass people on trails, I calm Curie with pets, soft words, and treats to distract her from her worry. Some days are tougher than others, but I am learning to read her moods and needs while she is learning more trust.
To get to and from most of our hikes and playtime outside, I needed to get Curie comfortable with car rides. This was also a goal of mine so that it makes visiting family and vet trips much more comfortable for both Curie and me. We started with carrier only car trips in loops around our parking lot and have graduated to leashed/restrained in the back seat. Curie is such a great kitty on car trips now that she has done road trips of 3+ hours with me while taking a good nap and looking out the window comfortably the entire time. This is one thing that I am super proud of her for because our first trips involved fighting me to get into the car and LOUD meowing the entire time.
When we aren’t adventuring outdoors, I keep Curie mentally stimulated with training to do tricks. She currently knows two tricks really well, “sit” and “up (stand)”, and we are close to nailing down “play dead”. She is incredibly smart and has picked up on these quickly! We are hoping to work on learning “shake”, “roll-over”, and “hoop jumps” in the near future. Curie also is very tolerant to wearing sweaters, t-shirts, and other various clothes which is a lot of fun for us both. (It’s also useful in keeping her warm during winter walks!).
The main piece of advice I have for others out there is to have patience. You and your kitty will have fun and bond over outdoor training and other activities no matter how long it takes to get there. Curie and I have been learning with each other for over six months now and there are still things to work on! Another point is that not everyday ends up in the perfect post. There are some days where Curie refuses to leave the backpack on our walks or when she pretends that she’s too sleepy to move when I bring out the harness (letting me know very clearly that she’s not in the mood to go outside). This summer Curie and I are planning a longer road trip to visit family, which I’m sure she’ll do great on, training to go potty outdoors, and a camping trip in the woods!
You can check out Curie’s adventures and DM for more info by following on @curie_cat_ on Instagram.
