Kaitlin Fitzpatrick of Boynton Beach with Peak, her Maine coon and adventure cat. Peak loves going on leashed hikes, riding on bikes, climbing rocks and even snow sledding. Photo provided
By Arden Moore
For people who enjoy taking walks in Ocean Ridge and Manalapan, seeing a happy leashed dog walking with his favorite person is a pleasant, but not surprising sight.
But Kaitlin Fitzpatrick, of Boynton Beach, has come to expect stares, finger pointing and even a few gasps when she walks her pet, Peak, on sidewalks.
That’s because Peak is a cat — specifically, a beautiful Maine coon — who is proud to be part of a growing group of felines in the country. Peak is what you might call an adventure cat.
Peak and other adventure cats are shattering the stereotypes associated with family cats — that they live inside, take long and frequent naps, hone their claws on scratching posts and beg for snacks whenever their favorite person enters the kitchen.
Adventure cats — as the name implies — revel in new experiences, new sights, new smells and new challenges.
But not all adventure cats dig the same adventures.
“Adventure cats come in a lot of varieties,” notes Kaitlin, a former hospitality manager and now full-time social media manager for Peak. “Some adventure cats love riding on top of paddleboards. Some love to be on boats. Peak is the type of adventure cat who loves going on leashed hikes, bike rides, climbing rocks and, yes, even sledding on snow.”
Turns out that Kaitlin and her husband, Martin, split their time between Palm Beach County and Maine with Peak and his shyer feline sibling, Summit.
“We noticed that Peak loves jumping in empty delivery boxes, so we attached a rope to one of those boxes and I started pulling it around the house with Peak inside,” she says. “He begged me to pull him more. Then when snowfall hit in Maine, I put him on a sled, and he loved every minute of it.”
Peak’s adventures are gaining notice. He has more than 22,000 followers on Instagram (@acatnamedpeak) and growing. Kaitlin and Peak were invited to the international Cat Fanciers’ Association Expo last October in Cleveland that drew more than 17,000 attendees. Kaitlin served on a few panel discussions about adventure cats and fielded questions from attendees in Peak’s meet-and-greet session.
Peak, aged 2 1/2, is 20 pounds and expected to reach 35 pounds when he matures around age 5.
“Peak is a Maine coon, one of the largest breeds of domestic cats, and this breed is known as being gentle giants,” Kaitlin says. “He is great with kids, super relaxed and is very much a ‘go with the flow’ type of cat. But, at 20 pounds, you definitely hear when he jumps down from a table or counter.”
Think you have an adventure cat in the making? Or looking to adopt a shelter kitten or cat with the intent of having the pet join you on outdoor adventures?
Kaitlin offers these tips:
• Pay attention to your cat’s personality. Adventure cats tend to be confident and curious — not tentative or shy.
• Practice patience in training sessions. “Never force your cat to do something he may not like to do or making the training session long,” says Kaitlin. “Keep training sessions short, fun and definitely rewarding. Peak loves getting treats.”
• Introduce your cat to wearing and accepting a harness attached to a leash in your home. “Make sure the leash is always connected to the harness and never to a cat’s collar to prevent them from choking, especially if the cat gets excited spotting a squirrel and tries to give chase.”
• While training, never allow your cat to walk out the front door on his own, even if he is wearing a harness and a leash. Instead, always fit your cat in his harness, keep a good grip on the leash and pick up your cat and carry him outside to the car or onto a trail. “Otherwise, your cat can turn into a door dasher and rush out the door whenever it is opened,” Kaitlin warns.
• Ensure your cat is deemed healthy and up to date on his vaccinations by your veterinarian. Adventure cats should also be current on medicine to prevent fleas and ticks.
• Equip your cat with plenty of identification. He should have a microchipped ID that can be scanned with your information on it, as well as his name and your cellphone number on his collar and on the harness. Kaitlin goes a step further. “Peak also wears a little name tag with a QR code that can be scanned. Some adventure cats wear GPS trackers on their harnesses.”
• Bring water and food plus a first aid kit on hikes with your cat. Take a pet first aid class so you can know what to do if your cat gets injured.
• Recognize signs your cat needs to rest or is getting fatigued. “Your cat may signal it is time to end the hike by acting moody, panting or sitting down a lot,” says Kaitlin. “Always bring a cat backpack so that your cat can ride inside the backpack while you finish the hike. Quality cat backpacks are well ventilated and have padding on the back for the person carrying it and straps you can secure to yourself during a hike.”
What’s the next adventure of Peak? Testing his willingness to paddleboard.
“He loves to play with water in his water bowl at home and we are easing him to put his paws in the water along the shore. I definitely think he will be game to be on a paddleboard when the waves are not small,” says Kaitlin.
Arden Moore is an author, speaker and master certified pet first aid instructor. Learn more by visiting www.ardenmoore.com.
More on adventure cats
You can follow Peak the Adventure Cat on Instagram at instagram.com/acatnamedpeak.
For more information on training tips, gear and other items for adventure cats, here are two well-established websites: adventurekittys.com and adventurecats.org
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