u/GodsFavoritestCatboy

Hello everyone! Twitch and I have made some tremendous progress since our last post, but the questions I have never end. Since starting some small outings, I’ve made some discoveries about Twitch and want to make sure I’m not pushing her too hard!

We took a trip to her grandparents house (my partner’s parents haha) because we don’t have central air, and this heat wave has made the house 80°+. We didn’t feel comfortable leaving her in the heat. On the way she meowed the whole time, and from what I know about the way she meows, she was stressed. She had a couple moments of open mouth panting (nothing too long, we made sure she had the car ac on her!) that worried me.

This trip was more of a necessary one, but I had hoped it would help her get used to the car. We’ve had a couple trips back and forth since, and it doesn’t seem to get better. She’ll take tube treats, but her favorite freeze dried treats aren’t enough to make her stop. While I want to help her get used to it, I don’t want to push a line of stressing her out too much.

How can I help her? How do I know if we’ve pushed too much? At what point is it time to throw in the towel and understand she’ll probably never get used to it?

So, I have a bin of wild caught isopods. I’ve bought dirt from people in the UK and people in Colorado. The tank itself has been established for a few months now, at least 4-6.

This guy showed up in there last night. I have genuinely no clue where he came from or what he is, and my google search “stick insects of Kentucky” was painfully useless. I’ll try to get more pics when I’m home from work.

I might keep him if he’s not native and I can’t release him.

Hello!
Short introduction, y’all can call me Keeters and my new (hopefully) adventure cat is named Twitch! She walked into our house about a month ago and never left, but it’s clear she enjoys the outside world and she enjoys people, so I figured I’d see if she’s interested in low-scale adventures.

This is my first cat AND adventure cat, so I’ll add a couple of questions at the end of this if anyone would be willing to answer.

So far I believe training is going well! We do a recall and target training session daily, and reinforce recall training with our bedtime routine. I wouldn’t say I’m confident enough in her recall for adventures just yet, but for the amount of time we’ve had her I’d say she’s catching on wonderfully.

On to the slight harness training we’ve been doing. (All of what I will say is mine and my cat’s experience. What works and doesn’t work for her, may be different for other cats!)

We started out with a TravelCat harness. I started there because Jackson Galaxy had a brand deal with them, and assumed he endorsed the style of harness. I like the velcro + buckle style, it seems secure, but Twitch did not take well to this harness. It also didn’t seem to fit her the best, and made me anxious about escapes if we were to graduate to outdoor time. Many say to just keep at it, and some cats take longer than others to get used to it. So I tried but when during a training session with this harness ended with her laying down in a litter box, I called it quits with the harness, as I could tell it stressed her out more than I would like it to.

After that we tried with the Rabbitgoo Classic Adjustable Harness. We have only had it for roughly a week, so take what I say with a grain of salt, but Twitch has taken to this harness well! We both prefer the slip over the head style over the step-in style. In the few days we’ve had this harness she has gotten used to walking and jumping onto furniture, as well as some play sessions. She’s still does not walk completely normally, so I know we still have some work to do, but I’m so proud of her!

On to some questions I have.

- What flea and tick medication do you all suggest? We have a sample from the vet that would cost an arm and a leg to keep getting. What’s affordable but has good coverage? I’m willing to pay what it takes to keep her safe, so every suggestion is welcome.

- How did you know when your cat was ready to graduate to the outside?

- What are things you wish you knew/did when you started harness training?

- How much should I increase the duration of wearing during indoor training sessions, and how long is too long to have it on?

- What carriers/backpacks do you use? Pros and cons?

Thank you to anyone who read this far! I would like to give Twitch the best experience she can have and enrich her life. If you have suggestions/pointers that I didn’t ask questions about, please do share them with me. This is for her to have a better life, so hard truths/cautionary tales are also welcome.