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Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

Does your cat go for walks with you?

19 replies

whistlerx · 20/05/2017 11:26

We live in the country. Our cat has taken to behaving like a dog. I call her, and she follows me out and goes for a walk with me, trotting behind and sometimes running ahead. These walks can last an hour. I'm wondering how common this is? She communicates a lot during the walk - a lot of prr...ing sounds. I'm feeling very fond of her!

OP posts:
HappyLabrador · 20/05/2017 11:31

Our cat does this! We have some woods in our village very near to our house and he'll follow us when we go for a walk there.

Most of the time though, he'll stop and turn back after about 10-15 minutes because I think he gets a bit too far from home for his liking. He's always sitting on the drive waiting for us when we return.

It's very sweet and quite funny watching him trotting along with us!

Justmuddlingalong · 20/05/2017 11:32

We used to go walking along the beach in front of our house. Accompanied by 3 kids, a dog and 2 cats. The cats used to walk along about a mile and then disappear into the woods. I thought it was lovely but strangers were often quite amazed to see it.

Original poster
whistlerx · 20/05/2017 11:35

What I've found though is that if the cat decides she doesn't want to do the whole walk, and stops, she doesn't make her way back home. Even if we are close to home. She just stays where she is. On occasion I've gone home via a circular route rather than re-tracing my tracks, and then gone to look for her literally hours later. She's still just where she was when she stopped walking with me! So she must have quite a small territory, and a lack of sense of direction. Funny, as she's pretty intelligent I think.

OP posts:
CMOTDibbler · 20/05/2017 11:36

Yes, evilgingercat likes to come with us and the dogs to the woods. Damagedblackandwhitegirl walks down to the end of the road with us and then yells loudly about us disappearing.
When I was a child, my parents used to move their goats from overnight pens by the house to loose boxes for the day which required walking them up the lane to another field. Our cats always came the whole way - half a mile or so - chittering about it. In the evening when there was more to do up the field the cats would wander round eating mice etc while the jobs were done

MrsGotobed · 20/05/2017 11:37

I know someone whose cat accompanies them when they walk the dog.

Apparently the cat is much more obedient and walks to heel better than the dog!

Justmadeperfectflapjacks · 20/05/2017 11:40

Our 2 cats used to travel in the cat with our 2 dogs to some woods about an hour away. . The sight of them all walking in a line was quite a sight!!
One cat used to sit on my shoulders to the sweet shop every night after school!!

NoDramasPlease · 20/05/2017 11:41

Yes! My cat walks to the local shop with me, waits outside then walks back with me chirruping all the way. She also follows ds and his friends when they're out playing and has accompanied us on the school run on a couple of occasions.

Original poster
whistlerx · 20/05/2017 11:44

Are these cats all moggies (mine is), or are some of them pedigrees, and if so, which type?

OP posts:
reallyanotherone · 20/05/2017 11:48

When i was a child i had the village paper round. I used to take the cat and dog with me.

So a 13 year old, followed by a small terrier, off lead, just pottering behind, followed by the cat, who used to often do it secret agent style, keeping to walls, then jumping out when we got to the next house.

RueDeDay · 20/05/2017 11:51

One of ours does. DD loves it!! The other is too much of a scaredy cat and stops about 20 metres away from the house.

Stilllivinginazoo · 20/05/2017 11:54

I used have a cat that loved accompanying me from my boyfriend(at the time) to my dads(45 min wall)she trot along side me til got tired then ran up my leg and hop on my shoulders where she lay across back of neck all 4legs draped down chest like a fancy scarf!! She always enjoy a snifter of dads cats food on arrival then slept in her basket with her!she also loved cars and was in her element be taken local country park where enjoyed walks,leap up onto my shoulders when tired/startled by dogs.she was an amazing cat and I know she was stolen as she disappeared one day after went out for a toilet break and never came back leaving 4week old kittens. She was a devoted mumSad
One my current neurotic cats has separation anxiety and follows me to corner shop mewing fearfully.he pants when we get homr as gets self such a tizz so we try not to let him come.he's very vocal "talking" to me in various pur like noises.I understand a few now and DC laugh as I sit and "chat" to him when he comes for cuddlesGrin

SpuriouserAndSpuriouser · 20/05/2017 11:55

One of my girls does (the other doesn't as she is too lazy Grin). She is a Siamese and as a breed they are very sociable so I think that might be why. I try to discourage it though, as she has a terrible sense of direction and is as blind as a bat, so if she got separated from us I don't think she would find her way home.

caoraich · 20/05/2017 12:33

One of my moggies, when she was an outdoor cat, used to accompany me to the train station (about 1/3 of a mile away) in the morning and sit on the platform until I'd left. My fellow commuters seemed to be split between "awww adorable" and "Mad Cat Lady Alert"

She eventually figured out when I'd be coming home and I used to meet her at the top of the steps to the station on my way home. On days there were delays she gave me a "where have you been?" look.

I briefly considered writing to Scotrail on her behalf after a week of bad delays resulted in very irate yowling...

Kokusai · 20/05/2017 13:00

These are adorable!

One of my childhood cats would come with you on a locat wall but he would mainly stalk through people's gardens and pop out with you every now and again. He had a massive territory.

Stilllivinginazoo that is so sad about your cat being stolen :-(

Wolfiefan · 20/05/2017 13:05

One of my torties does this. Bloody thing must have a death wish! She doesn't care what road I am walking along or the fact the wolfhound thinks she's coming along to play. Often have to get DH to call her home or chase her off before we hit a main road!

Does your cat go for walks with you?
Plumkettle · 20/05/2017 13:33

Stilllivinginazoo

That's awful about your cat being stolen.

When I was a child my dog was my best friend. He used to run beside me on my bike and we went to buy some milk for my mam. Tied him to my bike and was inside for literally 5 mins. When I came out he was gone Sad

I still miss him all these years later.

Stilllivinginazoo · 20/05/2017 14:24

I was 20 plum
That was 23 years ago and I think of her often.she was an amazing cat. Gentle,funny,loving and smart.

lizzieoak · 20/05/2017 14:30

Our old cat used to do this. When we'd get to a busy road he sensibly wouldn't cross but would call to us to come back. So we either had to leave stealthily or go back & shove him in the house. He did not like as he knew we were heading into dangerous territory!

He'd go to the park with the kids and watch them swing & play, then walk home with them.

haggisaggis · 20/05/2017 14:32

My Main Coon will follow us when we take the dog out - mainly because he and the dog are best friends. It's fine on one of the short walks as he knows how to get home if he gets distracted by rabbits. On other walks it's a nuisance as he wanders off then yowls when he can't find us and we have to go back and pick him up ( he's really heavy!)

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