Roxy
Roxy is a kitty who loves going fast and feeling the wind in her whiskers.
What is Roxy's favourite thing to do?
Her favourite thing is curling up in her heater bed (it’s an infrared heater bed) and laying in a patch of sun - she’s definitely a sun worshipper
How about her favourite foods or toys?
She’s not very food motivated which makes training a bit more challenging - but pieces of cooked chicken usually get her attention.
As for toys - her fav is a google eyed cat we call korycat and she goes crazy for it - batting it around and tossing it over her head as she clings it about - poor korycat!
Poor Korycat! What about adventures, what are Roxy's favourite types of adventures?
Roxy likes a lot of activities like walking (particularly forest trails) and more recently riding in her kitty backpack on the bike.
She likes going fast and feeling the wind in her whiskers.
Tell us about your most memorable adventure.
Our most memorable adventure was our first hike in the Rockies.
We hiked a few miles and Roxy amazed us by how well she walked. She walked over a mile and a half before she’d had enough and rode the rest of the way in her kitty backpack.
She was one tired kitty.
Why did you decide to train Roxy to be a catexplorer?
Bengals are pretty high energy cats and need a lot of interaction or they get frustrated and bored.
We didn’t know if she'd like adventuring, but we’d got her a OneFast Catwheel and she really liked running in it so we thought we’d try to expand her adventures to outside.
How did you train Roxy?
Very slowly and with a lot of patience.
Roxy is a bit skittish and unsure around new experiences, people, cars and dogs so we started slowly in the house and then the back yard and then further afield in quiet locations with few distractions.
We always start her in her backpack and carry her in and out of the house so she doesn’t get the idea of running in and out the door - which has worked well so far.
Our motto is to end the adventure in a positive note - we want her to associate good things with adventures.
Having said that there are times when she just doesn’t want to walk, so we put her in her backpack and she’s thoroughly content to view the world from there - whatever makes her comfy works for us.
Over time she’s gotten more used to distractions and we’ve even introduced her to some kitty friendly dogs on our walks.
What has been the most rewarding part of having a catexplorer?
We get to go out and explore nature (something we love) with our kitty.
She’s teaching us to slow down and enjoy the experience as we see it from her vantage point
What has been the hardest?
The hardest has been dealing with off leash dogs who aren’t under control.
Most dog owners are great when they encounter us and we really appreciate the interaction with those who have kitty friendly dogs as it helps us socialize Roxy.
In hindsight, what would you do differently?
I wish I’d connected with other adventure kitty owners sooner as there are ones who’ve been awesome about sharing information and experiences which is helpful and reassuring.
What advice would you give other humans training their catexplorers?
Be patient, but also persistent and really be in tune with your kitty’s behaviour - especially the ears and tail. They tell you a lot about their comfort level with the situation.
Candy cane tails are happy tails - swishing back and forth or tucked down low are agitated and not happy!
It’s ok and good to challenge their boundaries, but know when they’ve had enough.
What other catexplorers inspire you?
@O.G.adventurecat and @Ninatheblindcat
Follow Roxy on Instagram: @roxythe_kitty