Photo: Instagram/greatgramsofgary
Meet Gary, the ‘adventure cat’ who has his own Instagram account
Meet Gary, the cat from Canada who is a true adventurer at heart: Hiking, paddling, and ‘meowtaineering’ everywhere he goes.
Photo: Instagram/greatgramsofgary
Meet Gary, a five-year-old rescue cat and one of the animal world’s most famous Instagram influencers, who is taking social media by storm.
It is reported that this cat is not just any floof-ball posing for cutesy photos, this cat is a true adventurer who loves hiking, paddling and mountaineering. And after taking a peek at his gallery, you might feel a tingling sense of envy, as this feline has better vacations than most of us. Plus he has 180 000 followers on Instagram.
“Gary really likes our adventures, and I work really hard to make sure he’s always happy and comfortable,” said Gary’s owner and social media manager, James, according to Bored Panda.
He revealed that Gary’s introduced to new activities slowly, so the cat has time to adjust to them on his own terms.
“I’ve created a bit of a monster though because if I don’t take him out enough, he sits at the door and meows,” James explained.
How it all started
The 29-year-old communications professional also revealed how Gary’s Instagram page came to life.
When he and his partner moved to the Canadian Rockies in British Columbia and Alberta where the family currently resides, James was unemployed and decided to start Gary’s account “as a way to maintain a social media presence while [he] looked for work in my field”.
Gary’s popularity and following came as an unexpected, but pleasant surprise.
“We only started adventuring with Gary recently,” James explained. “He showed a keen interest in going outside and even escaped once, so we decided to harness train him after we moved,” he added.
The choice was obvious, as not only could traffic outside be dangerous, but there are other hazards lurking outside. “There’s a lot of predators like bears, wolves, coyotes and birds of prey in our area and it’s unsafe to have free-roaming cats,” the owner elaborated.
He also said that getting Gary in a harness also protected small mammals and songbirds from ending up being the cat’s prey.
James also said that as Gary got more comfortable on a leash, they went on bigger adventures.
The owner elaborated on the jumpstart of Gary’s adventures. The family started small, with their yard and local parks, and then moved to bigger ventures, going on full hikes in the mountains.
“This summer, we’ve branched out into paddleboarding and kayaking, camping, and even ‘meowtaineering’ when he walked on the toe of a glacier!” an enthusiastic James said.
Taking pictures
“It’s taken several months, but Gary’s finally figured out the point of hiking trails and now whenever he sees one, will follow it,” the owner detailed the hikes with his cat.
Unfortunately, even though it makes walking with Gary easier, it also had an unforeseen downside: It’s now difficult to stop and take photos with the cat. As for what happens when the pet gets tired? James explains that Gary has a way to communicate that as well:
“When he gets tired of walking, he’ll stop and meow at my feet so that I’ll pick him up and carry him – he likes to ride on my shoulders, but we also have a backpack he will ride in as well”.
Turns out, Gary likes to take occasional naps inside the backpack! Now that’s surely a luxurious way to travel.
His favourite activity
“His favourite activity seems to be paddling [as] he is very relaxed when we are out on the water and sometimes ends up falling asleep on the front of the kayak!”
Apparently, taking hikes and going on adventure isn’t only good for one’s health, Gary also seems to have gained a lot of confidence by being outside.
“He used to be a very timid cat and would run and hide under a bed or in the closet whenever we had guests over, [but] now he seems much more confident and he’ll greet new people when they arrive and let them pet him – something that would not have happened before he became an ‘adventure cat’,” James said.
