Caturday: Melody's second walk

Admittedly, her second walk happened last month, but I was debating between a few different topics for today's Caturday post and realized I don't have any photos for my other ideas. I remembered to bring my phone for her walk this time! Melody and Sybil are the most eager to leave the apartment when the door is constantly being opened and closed like it is when we're doing laundry. (Sybil even took her chances and bolted one day when Chris was leaving. Naughty kitty!) Thus, most of the walks occur on these afternoons in between laundry loads.

Melody seemed really interested in going outside, so Chris hooked her up to her harness, and at that moment she froze and did not want to go outside any longer. I know that you're not supposed to pick your cat up while you're trying to get him/her to walk on a leash, but I didn't want to keep the door open and I knew that she would be interested once she was beyond the door, so I plopped her outside and she sat uncomfortably on the ground for a minute until she realized that she was free to wander around.

Chris purchased Mel's harness before her cross-country move last summer. I suggested the Kitty Holster cat harness, as I got one for Rosie (and it's Jackson Galaxy-approved), but he ended up going with a PetSafe Come With Me Kitty harness with a bungee leash. I wasn't sure how secure it would be, but it has been working well for her. The only problem is that it's a little bit tight on her (he got the small size). I can fit a finger between her harness and body, but she'd probably be more comfortable in a medium, and we'll have to size up if she gains any weight.

We didn't go very far on the walk. We didn't even go beyond our floor. She enjoyed looking down the stairwell, but she was startled when the elevator opened and ran for the apartment. It's always fun running after an already scared cat! I was hoping to get her to go down the stairs, but that didn't happen; we'll try again next time she wants to go out.

While she sat in front of the neighbor's door, contemplating whether she was done with her walk or not, I could hear the neighbor that startled her coming out of the elevator getting ready to take his dog for a walk. Melody perked up when she heard them and wandered closer to their door. She ended up meeting the dog, and she was so good! She puffed up and tried to look as tall as possible, of course, but she didn't back down and didn't growl or hiss. The dog was excited to see her and wanted to get close. He ended up calming down enough that they got pretty close to each other with their noses. After that excitement, she decided she was done with her walk. I guess, for Melody, it was enough for one afternoon!