Catexploring while social distancing

These times (in April/May 2020) are extraordinary times.

Words like ‘quarantine’, ‘self-isolation’ & ‘social distancing’ are the norm.

But our kitties don’t understand what is going on, besides loving that we are now home so much more to give them our attention and love.

For kitties who are used to going catexploring, they wouldn’t understand why they can’t go out as often as before.

But there are ways to still go catexploring. And within the limits of the rules and regulations in your local area. (Make sure you check these as they can change daily!)

Finding places to go if you are in full lockdown

Where to go in your house

If you are lucky to live in a house and have a yard, this is a great place to go catexploring!

Yes, it may not have the hiking trails that your kitty loves. But it gives them the opportunity to feel the grass under their paws, the wind in their whiskers & the sun on their fur.

To make things interesting make an obstacle course for them using cat tunnels, boxes and whatever you have at home. Taking a wand toy through this obstacle course can help scratch their need to be little hunters.

Where to go in your apartment building

Apartment building have great places to go catexploring.

Your balcony

Something as simple as a balcony is a great place to give your cat some fresh air.

If you have a green thumb, add some cat-friendly plants for your kitty.

Another option is to start some training activities like clicker training on your balcony.

In your apartment building

The corridors of your apartment building are a great place to go catexploring. Typically they don’t have many people, allowing for social distancing & are great for kitties who are shy of people. Just make sure your cat is allowed to walk in these areas.

Some apartment buildings have an accessible roof area. This may be a great place to go catexploring too.

Similarly your apartment may have some other common areas that you can take your cat – from communal gardens, grass areas and even courtyards.

Where to go catexploring if you can still go outside for exercise or to run errands

A common frustration is that the where we used to go catexploring have now become super busy because everyone is getting their outside fix there.

So as usual, catexplorers may need to think out of the box.

Finding quiet trails

If you are lucky enough to continue to go hiking, your typical trail may be overrun with people (making it hard for social distancing) and dogs (making it scary for cats).

Try to find trails that may not be as popular.

While, that trail that is on your area’s list of top trails was great and quiet before COVID-19, it is probably going to be where everyone goes now.

With that in mind, look for trails that never appear on those lists. The entrance may be hidden or in a non-popular area.

Another option is to use Google Maps to find trails in your areas that you may not know about.

Find those hidden spots

In everyday life, we usually sprint past so many great locations for catexploring – like that quiet community garden or that tiny park or that laneway or that garden bed between the buildings in your apartment block.

For humans, these locations may seem boring, not pretty and at times not even worth our attention.

But for our kitties? These places hold so many wonders. Things to smell and discover.

And because humans don’t notice these spots, they’ll be quiet.

With life ‘slowing’ down in these times, it may be a great opportunity to look for these places close to you. And perhaps, you’ll even find a new favourite catexploring spot for the future.

And this is another thing that Google Maps may be useful with too. Zoom in near your home and you might find a new place for catexploring.

Run errands

If your cat is comfortable with travelling in the car, a great time to get them out and about is while you are running errands.

Most of the time, you won’t be allowed to take them into grocery stores and other locations. If you have the option, one person can stay in the car with your cat, while the other runs the errands.

It gets your kitty outside your 4 walls, and lets them people (or dog) watch from the car.

Change when you go catexploring

If you are still struggling to find places to go catexploring besides a popular park or trail, perhaps go at a time that is not popular.

For example, early in the morning or later in the evening.

Try activities that allow social distancing

Some catexploring activities allow for social distancing – like kayaking and bike riding.

If you have the luxury to do either, they may be a great way to go catexploring during this time.

Find out how to go bike riding with your cat here and how to go kayaking with your cat here.

Learning new skills

If you and your kitty are using this time to learn new skills, you can do that with catexploring too!

Take advantage of more people around on your favourite trails as an opportunity to help they with their socialization skills (which social distancing!)

If you have been thinking about it, this is also a great time to harness train your cat at home. For a free guide to do just that see here.

Keeping your kitty entertained when you can’t go catexploring

It’s also normal for our kitties to be more destructive.

They may be jumping in the middle of your Zoom calls or pulling everything out of the bin or even waking you up in the middle of the night.

Usually this is because they may be bored. For a few ideas on how you can entertain them, see here.

Catexploring once this is all over and we’re back to ‘normal’

No one knows how long restrictions will be in place due to COVID-19, but we already can tell that it has been a while.

It’s been a while since our cats have gone catexploring like they used to. Or interacted with visitors in our homes.

So much so that they may have gotten comfortable with how we’re living now.

Used to catexploring in quiet places. Not seeing visitors at home.

When things get back to normal, we need to be prepared that our cats may take a few steps back with their catexploring skills.

If your cat was used to visiting busy markets with you before, you may need to start with a quieter market. So that they get used to being around a lot of people.

Or if you and your cat used to do big hikes together, and you’re not hiking right now. Perhaps start with a shorter hike.

And don’t feel bad if you feel discouraged. It can be hard work to build up those skills.

With time, your kitty will get back to where they were. They just may need some time, and some extra help to get there.

And together you will get there.