“Were you not the tiniest bit embarrassed? It looks a bit better than the average cat carrier, but OMG”
“I was thoroughly embarrassed! But at least my shoulders don’t hurt from lifting.” (these are quotes from the photographer’s Flickr page)
So, what do you think? I’ll tell you what I think for what it is worth. I’m crazy about cat strollers….. 😉 Well, not quite, but…they do fix some cat problems if you can get over the embarrassment. One day, I might get up the courage and try one out in London.
What is probably certain is that you are sure to meet people! LOL. Imagine going to the local shops pushing your cat in front of you in a cat stroller. At first, other pedestrians would think you were pushing a rather odd looking pram. They’d look for the baby and see a cat 😉 Then they’d look at you and probably smile and begin a conversation.
It depends how much of an exhibitionist you are and whether you can take the attention – update: no one notices my cat in his stroller. They see a baby instead. On the practical side the advantages are there if your cat is a full-time indoor cat:
- Your cat gets to see, hear and smell new and stimulating things (we hope!).
- Your cat is safe while exploring new places.
- The device overcomes the need to provide fresh stimulation for your cat in safety. That can be quite hard to achieve.
Is the cat stroller slightly anthropomorphic? It looks like it! It treats the domestic cat as a baby. But I think that is just coincidental. The device was not born out of a desire to treat a cat as a baby. It was created as a practical solution to the age old problem; to mentally stimulate a cat in safety. It also allows a cat owner to be with their cat more rather than being at home alone.
Some cat strollers look like prams which is why 90% of people you pass in the street don’t see a cat but expect to see and therefore see a baby instead.
Update: I did it and went and bought a cat stroller. Here it is (below) by the Thames river near Teddigton, England. The woman is my SO. The boat is a pleasure cruiser going from Richmond to Kingston Upon Thames. It was a very fine day for a walk by the river. This was Gabby’s (my cat) first outing in the stroller.
Update: June 2002-the years have rolled by and there is quite a strong movement towards keeping cats indoors full-time nowadays. This alters the dynamic between owners and their cats. It puts greater emphasis on good cat caregiving. The owner has to do more to stimulate and entertain their cat. To create an environment inside the home which is, from the cat’s perspective, interesting. And you can enrich their life through a cat stroller as it enables the owner to take their cat outside and he bombarded with all the stimulation that your cat can take while being kept safe in their stroller.
And it is a good way to meet people so if you can pluck up the courage, I would recommend them. I have tried mine many times and they put a smile on your face an on the face of people you meet with whom you start up a conversation. You should try and make the stroller an attractive place for your cat to be so they, ideally, jump into it and ask to be taken outside.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I have found that strollers are a nice idea. They can actually attract attention which is good for meeting people. It may take a cat a while to adjust but they work. Some cats actually love them while others may be fearful. Some cats jump in ready to go….!
I love this piece, thank you for posting! We have this exact division in our household of one of us being embarrassed and the other thinking it’s a good idea. In January we adopted a rescue cat from an organization and promised them we would keep her indoors. I understand the reasoning (and we live in New York City) but having never had a cat before I had no idea how often they look out the window observing the outside action – birds, trees, pedestrians, she finds it all fascinating. Of course we have to keep windows closed so she won’t jump out. But she loves windows and seeks sunlit spots. A leash would be dangerous as she might get distracted and get lost (a cat just did run away whose owner walked her on a leash, in Central Park). She also gets very anxious and skittish about being put in her carrier. And she sometimes tries to follow me outside. I’ve ordered a stroller for her so I can bring her on walks with me and she can get some fresh air and sun and see some sights but safely, behind a mesh screen. I will obviously wait until it’s a bit warmer and use it at times and in places that won’t be too crowded. I feel it will make life easier for her when I actually have to take her somewhere, like the vet, and she won’t be zipped up in a bag. But I also hope that she will actually enjoy it. Keeping an animal indoors its whole life seems much stranger to me than putting it in a place where they can enjoy the scenery. My husband is mortified and wants never to be seen wheeling a cat especially by his college students!