When we first started training our cats to walk on a leash, it was mainly just to get them out of the house. To give them the opportunity to see something more than our tiny 2 bedroom apartment. And to keep them fit.

What I didn’t expect was the amazing impact this small decision had on our lives. Not our cats’ lives, but my husband and my lives.

Forced to Go Outside

As life gets busy, it becomes pretty easy to spend our few spare moments sitting on the couch watching TV. While this is needed sometimes, exploring with our cats has encouraged us to get off the couch and go outside.

You see, one of our cats, Lumos, insists on frequent walks and becomes very stir crazy if we don’t go for a walk at least once a week.

The only way to stop his zommsies around the apartment and 2am wake up calls is to take him on these weekly walks.

What has surprised us, is that we do these walks for him, but they make sure that we get out of the house. That we smell the fresh air and fell the sun and breeze on our faces, especially when we have been cooped up inside for too long.

It’s amazing, after these outings, we all feel much more relaxed and refreshed.

Seeing More of Our Cats’ Personalities

Prior to exploring with our cats, Lumos & Noxie, Noxie was a very quiet shy cat. She usually spent time on her own. While she was playful, she would play when we weren’t around.

What has amazed us since we started exploring is how she has come out of her shell.

She now makes sure that she is in the middle of whatever activity we are doing at home. She brings countless presents (aka toys) to us all day. She has also become a lot more outgoing with other people.

It has been incredible to see these changes in her.

The Amazing Bond we Develop With Our Cats

We hear time and time again from members in the Catexplorer Community about how exploring with their cats has helped them develop an amazing bond with their cat.

Perhaps this is because we need to learn to communicate with our cats to keep them safe. Perhaps it is the magic of seeing the world from their perspective. Or maybe it is due to seeing how happy they are outside.

Either way, catexploring has helped further develop our bond with our cats and significantly improved our ability to read each other.

Introverts Meeting People

Exploring with a cat is still relatively new.

If you walk down a street with a cat in a backpack, people stop. Some people stare. Some laugh. Others stare in amazement.

And the cat lovers? They approach you. They say hi and ask about your cat. They tell you about their cat. Many times, they ask about the training involved in catexploring.

At first, this can be quite intimidating for 2 extreme introverts like my husband and me.

But over a few experiences, these interactions have forced us to come out of our shells. We’ve become better at speaking to people. We’ve become more comfortable at having a chat with a stranger about their cat.

The best bit? We leave these conversations feeling happy. Happy that we have made someone else’s day. Happy to have heard about their cat and the funny things it does.

And sometimes, we leave excited, because Lumos & Noxie have inspired someone else to be a catexplorer too.