A rescue cat has swapped tree climbing for mountaineering, making it to the summit of Mount Snowdon and Sugar Loaf Mountain in Wales this year – with his lurcher pal and veterinary nurse owner in tow.
Part-Maine Coon Orion was rescued by Katie Bowen, 31, around two years ago, after he was brought into the rescue centre she worked at with his sister.
Just two days old, they had been separated from their mother, so Katie hand-reared them.
Katie, of Bracknell, Berkshire, said: ‘Orion was found as a kitten, so no one knows a lot about his background or even his breed.
‘I was a vet nurse in a rescue centre. We would often get kittens brought in and I ended up with Orion and his sister. They were tiny. I hand reared them from two days old.’
With only enough room for one kitten Katie decided to keep Orion, having fallen in love with his gentle demeanour (whereas his sister was more independent).
Since bringing the tomcat home he’s gone from strength to strength, settling into life with five-year-old lurcher, Pongo, and exploring with his pals.
Katie started training Oriona on a harness when he was nine weeks old, saying: ‘He’s such a chilled-out cat. He used to come in to work with me and nothing seemed to bother him
‘So, I thought, “I take Pongo out on all these adventures, why shouldn’t Orion be part of that?”‘
He took to being walked right away, and two years on Orion is a veteran rambler – even joining Katie on an eight-day camping excursions in Wales.
‘I generally take Pongo and Orion wherever I go,’ she said.
‘Orion even comes away on holiday. Most of our holidays are either camping or in a van. We just hit the road and off we go.
‘He loves being in the van because he can just watch the world from his little domain.
‘He’s really nosy. When we get a pitch to camp, he likes to sit up on a picnic table and surveys the whole campsite.’
It was September this year when Orion scaled Snowdon – Wales’ highest mountain – with Katie and Pongo.
‘I did have to carry him some of the way up Snowdon, but we still climbed it together,’ said Katie. ‘He did get to do some exploring which was brilliant.’
Orion posed happily for photos 1,085 metres up on the peak, but prefers wooded areas for his intrepid journeys.
Katie said: ‘He likes walking in woods best. We went to the New Forest in Hampshire a couple of weeks ago and he really enjoyed that. He likes exploring.
‘Snowdon wasn’t his favourite expedition, because it was a bit windy, which is the main element he doesn’t like, so for some of it he hid in my cat carrier.
‘But we did get a photo of him at the top of Snowdon, which is brilliant, and he walked some of the way and loved it.’
With pet food brand, ORIJEN, reporting that one in five owners would like to start walking their cats on a lead but lack the confidence to do so, Katie is keen for people to see that, with the right training, it can be done.
‘I would say just pick up a harness, they are really cheap, and see if your cat accepts it,’ she said.
‘For the first walk I would choose somewhere quiet and just go at your cat’s pace. Some cats just aren’t going to want to do it, especially if you’re starting with an older animal.
‘But if your cat enjoys walking it can be an amazing experience. I really encourage feline owners to try it.’
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