How to Raise an Adventure Cat

[alfred russel]

About two months ago, my girlfriend and I got a three month old kitten from the shelter. Neither of us have any experience with cats. We resolved that this cat would not be an ordinary cat, but an adventure cat, and he would go climbing, camping, and hiking with us. When I realized he loved to stalk and attack everything in our home, including us, I added to the list hunting. We named him after one of the most difficult climbing routes in the world, as is fitting for an adventure cat.

So far the cat is awesome. However, the development of the "adventure" portion of our adventure cat is running into challenges. Some of these are:

-He throws up regularly in cars. This makes it difficult to take him places.
-We got a hiking backpack for the cat (a backpack in which the cat sits). However, he threw up in the backpack the one time we took him for a walk in it (and my girlfriend got really mad at me as it was my idea). I think this problem may be overcome to an extent by just carrying the cat in our arms - that seems okay.
-He is somewhat scared outside--he tries to run under parked cars to hide.
-On a trial run, we pitched a tent inside the condo to see how he would react. He relentlessly attacked the tent. We took it down within 15 minutes to keep the tent from being torn.

The hunting is the most sad portion. I've been scouting squirrels for him to hunt near the condo. Basically I walk around the condo, find a squirrel on the ground, go inside to get the cat, take him to the squirrel, and put him on the ground. Little cat is interested in the squirrels, but the squirrels are 100% focused and terrified of the little cat. The typical encounter is: 1) little cat somewhat interestedly looks at the squirrel, 2) the squirrel completely tenses up and freezes, 3) a leaf blows by in the wind and the little cat gets distracted by the leaf, 4) while the cat is distracted the squirrel runs up a tree, 5) the little cat realizes the squirrel is gone, and walks under a car. 6) I spend a couple minutes trying to get the cat out from under the car to bring him back inside.

This is depressing because cats are supposed to decimate the local wildlife. An adventure cat should at least be able to wound it.

I'm hoping the puking in the car goes away with age. I'm not sure how to make him comfortable outside. I know some of you have more experience with cats than we do. Do you have any pointers on how to raise a proper adventure cat?

[HVC]

yeah, this is not gonna work out well for you. taking a cat into a unknown location is just asking for an escaped cat/coyote food.

But even beyond that, if you're regularly letting your cat outside make sure its vaccinated.

[alfred russel]

yeah, this is not gonna work out well for you. taking a cat into a unknown location is just asking for an escaped cat/coyote food.

But even beyond that, if you're regularly letting your cat outside make sure its vaccinated.

The cat isn't going outside without me going with it. But he is vaccinated anyway.

[alfred russel]

i should add we have a leash, including (I think) a 20 foot leash so while we camp he can be both tied up and have room to explore a little bit.

[HVC]

If you're coaxing your cat out from under cars as is, and you plan on going camping with it there's a very good chance it'll bolt.

But at least you vaccinated it.

[Barrister]

Some cats are just not good at car travel.  You can try to get him used to it, but you might ultimately have to give him kitty gravol.  Which doesn't really sound like an adventure cat.

As for hunting, cats are ambush hunters, which obviously takes patience that a kitten might not have much of yet.  I never knew my older cat had any killer instinct, but from time to time we would take him outside on out front yard just tied to a lead.  We'd ignore him for awhile, then sometimes he'd catch a mouse.  Squirrels are also a fair size compared to a kitten, so even if motivated he might not be able to bring one down.

Mostly, you just need to give him more exposure to outside.  But be careful (and I speak from experience) once a cat has a taste for outside they'll forever be trying to sneak outside.

[alfred russel]

kitty gravol

Wow--I had never heard of this. Great idea! 

Mostly, you just need to give him more exposure to outside.  But be careful (and I speak from experience) once a cat has a taste for outside they'll forever be trying to sneak outside.

Sounds like a man that raised an adventure cat. 

[Malthus]

Cats are territorial animals. Taking them on adventures is possible but very difficult, as cats are naturally uneasy outside of their home territories. As a generality they do not really enjoy being taken on travels outside home turf.

As to hunting, our cat became quite the rodent hunter, but not through any effort on our part - she just naturally did it. Bagged a number of rats, endless mice, and even a few squirrels and chipmunks. She didn't eat the rats, though. Luckily, she mostly avoided birds.

Letting them outside I do believe makes them better adjusted, but it can of course be dangerous.

[alfred russel]

Letting the little cat outside unsupervised is not really an option. I live within Atlanta--while my condo is fortunate to be in a complex with a lot of gardens and even a very small nature reserve behind it, I'm in an urban environment.

[Zoupa]

Cats are not dogs and can't be trained much. 99% of cats don't like travel, even short distances in the car.

Real life =/= Instagram.

[Barrister]

Cats are not dogs and can't be trained much. 99% of cats don't like travel, even short distances in the car.

Real life =/= Instagram.

I don't know about 99%.

When I first started dating the girl who became my wife, she gave me a cat she found (that cat is now 15).  We lived in towns about an hour apart, so we'd meet on the weekends at each others places.  That kitten was on the road every other weekend, and had no problem with it.  He'd climb around, look out the window, etc.  You just had to make sure he didn't get underneath the pedals.

[alfred russel]

Cats are not dogs and can't be trained much. 99% of cats don't like travel, even short distances in the car.

Real life =/= Instagram.

I don't know about 99%.

When I first started dating the girl who became my wife, she gave me a cat she found (that cat is now 15).  We lived in towns about an hour apart, so we'd meet on the weekends at each others places.  That kitten was on the road every other weekend, and had no problem with it.  He'd climb around, look out the window, etc.  You just had to make sure he didn't get underneath the pedals.

That is actually my experience driving on interstates. But stop and go traffic or speed bumps = vomit. Unfortunately, car rides for adventure cat activities often involve unpaved roads.

[Eddie Teach]

My cat whines incessantly on car rides.

[Josquius]

There's a friendly cat that often spends the night in my or my neighbour's garden. At first I thought it was just the neighbour's cat who enjoyed being outside but upon speaking to the neighbour it seems it isn't his. This cat belongs  to someone who used to live nearby but moved away; the cat refused to go with them and  instead returned to its territory where it lives as a stray.
Cats really do like their territory.

I hope the part about being able to teach your cat to be a dog works out nonehteless. Though colour me pessimistic.
I am glad the hunting part hasn't worked out though. Long may that side of things continue.

[alfred russel]

I really do need your guys help on this one...

Squirrel hunting update: I've given up...he is so scared to be outside, he will never hunt squirrels. I've been trying to get him used to being outside (taking him outside and letting him run around), but he mostly just sits down and tries to run under a car to hide. I've tried bringing cat treats and toys for him, but he is so nervous he won't eat or play.

Last Sunday we took him out for a day of rock climbing in Alabama. We got a ton of attention from other climbers for bringing the first "crag cat". There are lots of dogs, but no one brings cats!

Unfortunately it didn't go well (though my girlfriend though it went better than she expected).

We have this backpack:

https://www.amazon.com/SOURCER-Expandable-Backpack-Capsule-Traveling/dp/B07PB7F77D/ref=pd_sbs_199_img_2/139-9980633-1493609?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07PB7F77D&pd_rd_r=e643f969-47e6-462b-a611-1db976b50dde&pd_rd_w=hwXzR&pd_rd_wg=L8li1&pf_rd_p=5cfcfe89-300f-47d2-b1ad-a4e27203a02a&pf_rd_r=3WYMZA0RTQWK1SDEQJRD&psc=1&refRID=3WYMZA0RTQWK1SDEQJRD

We used that to carry the cat between climbing places, and let him use it as a base while we climbed (we had a third friend so there was always someone to keep an eye on the cat).

The entire day our cat didn't use the bathroom, eat, or drink. We tried to get him to do all of these, and even left food and water inside his backpack. He basically wouldn't leave the backpack, except in a couple of instances. Toward the end of the day, he started shaking and would only stop if with wrapped him in a sweatshirt. My girlfriend thought he was cold, but it was only 55 or 60--I think he was just scared (and comforted by the sweatshirt rather than warmed by it).

Inside he is an adventurous cat--even in new houses, and when he meets dogs. I just don't get why he is so scared of the outdoors, and how to make him not scared.

One thought we had is that climbing is a tough thing for a cat--cats are very territorial, so when we are in one spot for an hour he begins to get acclimated to it, but then it is time for us to go to another spot to climb...and he is right back to being scared by a new territory. We are thinking that a camping trip may be better if we stay a night in a single spot (though we tried a trial run of pitching a tent in the living room to see how he liked the tent, and he relentlessly tried to attack the tent - which is less than ideal).

Our cat is 6.5 months old.