This Is Our 2020 Recap With Adventure Cats
The year of 2020 is officially behind us, so it is time for a 2020 recap! It was a crazy year, but also a year of exciting experiences for us. We were able to spend more time bonding and getting to know Noodle and Spaghetti. We first adopted Noodle back in November 2019, and by March were in lockdown. We started to go for hikes more as the lockdowns kept getting extended. This was our way of getting fresh air while staying safe and socially distanced. Noodle hated to be left behind so we started bringing her with us! We were totally surprised by her adventurous side.
From being unfazed by long car rides, exploring new areas, and making new friends (because she walks up to everyone on the trails), she is the reason The Hiking Cat was created. The joy she spreads to everyone and the memories she helps us create is unexplainable. We wanted to share that with the world, to encourage that it’s okay to take your cat outside, that it should be normalized!
With the global pandemic happening, we started to work and do school from home. It was definitely a distraction, having a high energy kitten in the house while trying to get work done. However, we do not know how we would have made it through without her. She kept us sane and elevated our spirits. We became those typical pet parents that just kept posting about her on our social media. Our solution was to make a page just for her, and that was the start of this amazing journey!
A Quick End of 2019 Recap
We adopted Noodle in November and 1 week later drove 12 hours to see family for Thanksgiving. In December, she made the drive again. We realized very quickly how easy she was to travel with and how relaxed she was going to new places and meeting new people. This is when we first thought we may have an adventure cat on our hands.
2020 Recap
January-February:
We started researching adventure cats. How to train them, what we need, and any advice we could find. We bought her first harness and backpack and started training inside. We decided we wouldn’t take her out yet, as Michigan winters can be quite cold and she was only a tiny little kitten. We wanted to take advantage of the winter months and get her very comfortable in the harness and feel safe in the backpack. We included our best tips in our articles How To Harness Train Your Cat and How To Get Your Cat To Love Their Backpack.
March:
Noodle went exploring for the first time outside! We were pleasantly surprised at how well she did, but of course she had some fears too. Noodle’s main fears were people, dogs, and bicycles. With the backpack training we did though, she would hide inside there when she was nervous. It made us feel better that she felt safe in there, because she never tried to run away or escape her harness.
This is also the time lockdown started, and we began working from home. For fun, we started her Instagram page (@the_pastapets). Never did we expect it to take off the way it did!
April-May:
Our blog is born! In April we had the idea, started getting things together for it, and launched it in May! Adventure cats get a unique opportunity to safely explore outside. It is also a great way to exercise them, mentally stimulate them, and add enrichment to their lives. Noodle is our first leash trained cat, but we want to help and inspire others to do the same for their cats! We hope that is what our blog has done so far for you!
June:
Onto the water we go! Kayaking is one of our favorite activities, so we wanted to see what Noodle would think of it. She shocked us at how comfortable and curious she was, and even ended up taking a little nap!
July:
This is Noodle’s birth month! She turned 1 year old at the end of July! We celebrated with another kayaking adventuring, a hike, and of course some extra treats!
August:
We added to our family! Our little Spaghetti came into our lives. Introducing two cats to each other can be difficult. At first, they hissed at toys or blankets that smelled like the other, even if they couldn’t see each other. About 1 week into the process, they played with each other nicely and were grooming each other. Safe to say they are happily living together now! We put a list together of the steps we followed in our article How To Introduce Your New Cat To Your Current Pets.
September:
We continued outdoor adventures of hiking and kayaking with Noodle only. When we were home though, we were working on harness and backpack training Spaghetti! She adapted to both very quickly, but we didn’t take her out with us yet. We wanted to make sure she trusted us and we had a strong relationship with her first.
October-December
Spaghetti had her first outdoor adventure in October! She was skittish and unsure at first, preferring to hide in the backpack. It almost seemed like she was not going to enjoy the adventure cat lifestyle. However, seeing Noodle walking and having fun boosted her confidence and made her want to try it to! Over the holidays in November and December, we had more long car rides to see family. Noodle is a pro at long car rides at this point, but it was Spaghetti’s first. And she did amazing! Again, we think she was feeding off Noodle, and with her being relaxed and sleeping, it helped Spaghetti do so too. Spaghetti is a bit more timid with strangers than Noodle, but she adjusted quickly. Both cats are loving the traveling lifestyle now for sure, and we can’t wait for more to come!
The Best Part Of 2020:
We learned a ton throughout this year! From training adventure cats, making a website, learning how to blog, introducing cats to each other, and more! Social media has been such a fun outlet for us! Not only do we get to share our blog posts with all of you, but we get to interact with you too! We have made so many great friends on Instagram and gotten opportunities we are so grateful for. None of this would be possible without your continued support of our page, so THANK YOU SO MUCH!
The adventure cat community on Instagram is amazing and supportive. There are so many great accounts for inspiration, resources, and friendship. We encourage you to make an Instagram for your cat if you have not already done so! It is such a blast seeing everyone’s fun adventures and learning from each other. We are @thehikingcatco, and we love seeing all your photos! Please tag us, as we feature you guys on our page every day!
What We Look Forward To In 2021:
We have so many hopes and plans for the future! While we know the pandemic isn’t near over, we hope with each day that it gets better. Being able to travel is something we truly miss.
Some of our plans for 2021 are:
- Take Spaghetti on her first kayak ride
- Take both cats on their first camping trip
- Try a short flight to see how they react to airports and plane rides
- Continue to write blogs and come out with content for you guys
- Continue to be active on social media and stay engaged with all of your accounts
- Spreading the word of adventure cats and being an advocate for the adventure cat community!
On To Bigger And Better Things!
We hope you enjoyed our 2020 recap with our adventure cats. This is not a typical post of ours. Usually, we aim to post informative and helpful posts for you guys active in the adventure cat community or those who want to start. But with the year ending, we wanted to get a bit personal and share our experience. Hope you didn’t mind getting to know us a bit more, because we sure have loved getting to know you all! Here is to a healthy, safe, and adventure filled 2021 with our beloved kitties! Cheers!
With love, Jen and Alex
One Comment
Marie Lauer
Very nice story, guys
Can’t wait to see you and the grandkitties soon.
Love You ❤️❤️❤️❤️