“I believe that enriching your cat’s life with adventure — big or small, indoors or out — will help to give them a more fulfilled life.
The life they deserve."

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, cats are definitely quirky creatures. But when it comes to what makes a cat happy in the home, there still seems to be some misconceptions floating around.

Yes, they can be aloof or secretive. But they can also be loving and social.

Yes, they sleep a lot (and look so cute doing it!). But they also love being alert.

Yes, they seem to be plotting world domination. But… Well, that one may just be true.

But according to Emily Hall, creator of KittyCatGO, cat trainer, and animal lover to the core, when we really take a step back from the stereotypes and look at their needs, there’s a world of possibility out there to enrich their lives in ways they’ll be so thankful for.

Because one pet is never enough

“We have a dog, we have cats, and we even had sugar gliders for a while… So we've always had lots of different pets. I love all animals, but if I had to say if I was one specific type, it would be a cat person.”

Since Emily was around 7 years old, pets have always been a cherished part of the household.

Shortly after her family brought home their first cat, Madeline, they ended up getting a kitten too.

Her friend’s cat had kittens and she had convinced her mom to let them get one.

“We just brought it home and didn't tell my dad. And, you know, sometimes it's better to ask forgiveness than permission. The cat ended up really loving him and slept on his pillow every night though, so it was all good.”

As the years went by, they kept adding more pets to the family. By the time she was in high school, they had 3 cats and 3 dogs.

“I knew when I was an adult and on my own, I wanted to have a big pet family as well.”

The special thing about cats’ unconditional love

“If you invest in your relationship, in your bond, and in the trust that you share between them, then you can build something more than just an aloof cat that sits on your couch all day and doesn't really care about you.”

When it comes to cats, Emily definitely sees beyond the stereotypes.

Never having met a cat she didn’t love, she acknowledges that their unique personalities is part of what makes them so special.

Within her own group of 6, they cover a lot of bases with their varying traits: goofy, playful, sweet and snuggly, and yes, one is even a bit of a grouch (in the most charming and endearing way!).

“They all are so unique, and you can find things to love about them, no matter what.”

And because of their personalities, the way they show their unconditional love looks a little different too.

Within her own group of 6, they cover a lot of bases with their varying traits: goofy, playful, sweet and snuggly, and yes, one is even a bit of a grouch (in the most charming and endearing way!).

“They all are so unique, and you can find things to love about them, no matter what.”

And because of their personalities, the way they show their unconditional love looks a little different too.

Then there’s Sophie, the velcro cat. If she could be held and glued to Emily’s body all day, she’d be her happiest self.

“They just want to be in my vicinity, you know? I appreciate that so much.”

There’s definitely no shortage of love, but when it comes to building a bond? It’s going to vary from cat to cat because of their personalities, of course. And to Emily, those bonds are special because of all she’s put into the relationship.

“I think if you take that time and make that effort, then you can create something really special.”

The moment when their world expanded

“We brought her outside and put her down in the grass, and it was instant. Her eyes lit up and she just had the best time eating the grass, rolling around in the grass, and looking at all of the things.”

Emily and her husband decided to take Sophie outside on a whim one day and that single moment is what started this enrichment revolution.

Sophie has a neurological disorder called cerebellar hypoplasia (Wobbly Cat Syndrome) so they knew if they took her outside, she couldn’t get away.

After seeing how much she absolutely loved it, Emily decided to bring the others outside too.

They would need a harness and leash though because they absolutely could get away!

“So I tried it out with another cat, Kylo Ren, and I trained him. Over the years, I've kind of made my way through the whole crew. Not all of them love it though. I have a couple that like going out in the backyard, but that's as far as they want to go.

One is really skittish and he doesn't even want to go in the backyard. He goes out on the catio and he's happy with that.”

Kylo Ren and Sophie are the complete opposite. Hiking, camping, road tripping… They’re the perfect adventure buddies.

But it didn’t happen by chance.

The slow transition to becoming adventurous cats

“It's all really just trial and error. What they like and what they don’t, what they're willing to do, and what they love the most.”

After realizing how much Sophie loved being outside (and noticing how fearless she was), they decided to take her out.

It started with the pet store. From there, no matter where they took her, she was always happy and loved the attention people gave her.

“So we just started trying to push the envelope on what she’s willing to do, and with her, we've never really hit a limit.”

Kylo Ren didn’t quite feel the same. They quickly saw how much he did NOT like being social, unlike Sophie.

While the pet store wasn’t his thing, the seclusion and peace of hiking in the woods definitely was.

Understanding that each cat is different helped Emily create opportunities for them that they would actually thrive in.

And now? She helps other cat parents do the same.

Creating resources for cat parents that didn’t exist

“When I was starting all of this, there were no resources, there were no guides… I was making it up. I did a lot of things wrong and learned some lessons, you know, especially with Kylo, since he is not quite the social butterfly that Sophie is.”

After time, patience, and lots of trial and error however, Emily had it all figured out.

And after seeing how other cat parents were wanting to take their cats on adventures too, but didn’t know how, she took that as her sign.

Wanting to fill the need and support others in their cat enrichment adventures, she decided to create KittyCatGO.

With endless resources like educational blog posts, guest-filled podcasts, and a Harness Training Course people can take right at home, cat parents no longer have to figure this out on their own.

Ultimately, her goal is to encourage people to do more with their cat and give them ideas for enrichment activities they can do not only inside, but outside as well.

Interested in trying something out?

Use code COTL10 for 10% off any KittyCatGO products or course!

Starting your cat’s enrichment journey: A list of ideas to try

“Cat enrichment can be so simple… You know, I think we try to overcomplicate things. People say, ‘I don't have time’ or ‘I don't know what to do.’ You don't have to do much.”

When you think of cat enrichment, your mind might immediately go to intricate puzzle toys or multi-tiered cat trees.

Those are great, but in reality, you can expose your cat to enriching activities with things you already have in your home.

Start by doing something as simple as opening a window (if you have a screen!) and let them experience the sounds and smells of outside.

“If you're not comfortable taking your cat outside, you can still give them that little taste. Put a bird feeder out in front of the window and your cat's got endless entertainment with very minimal effort on your part.”

You can also rotate their toys by putting some away and only having a few out at a time. When they get bored of what’s out, swap them with the “new” ones.

Wand toys are also stimulating and exciting for many cats. It allows them to act on their natural hunting instincts of chasing and catching, and you can do that while sipping your morning cup of coffee or watching TV in the evening.

Take a piece of notebook paper, put a couple treats in it, crumple it up, and hide it. Your cat can bat it around, figuring out how to get inside.

And if you want to take it a step further?

The end goal doesn’t have to be something extreme like hiking. There are lots of opportunities that require a teeny bit of extra effort but can still be done at home.

Tap into your inner child and build them a little blanket fort. Yes, a blanket fort! Add some toys inside and it creates a new hiding place for them to play in and explore.

If you can take them outside, sit on your back porch with them or let them feel the grass for five minutes.

Let them experience a sun puddle in its full glory instead of on the other side of a window!

You can even think about backpack or stroller training your cat too. Do it at home first and then you can use that as a tool to introduce them to new situations. If your cat is comfortable in their backpack or stroller, then you can take the next step and visit a pet store or something similar. f on the other side of a window!

“The outside hits on all fronts. You've got different types of enrichment, like environmental enrichment, mental, physical, and all of that. Going outside kind of checks all the boxes, you know? They've got all the sights and smells and sounds, and then they're walking too, so it can even provide exercise.”

No matter what you decide to try, one of the most important things to remember is, it’s never too late to start.

Emily was reminded of this with her cat that passed last year.

When she was first exploring leash training with Sophie nearly 12 years ago, she decided to give it a try with him as well. He was just a kitten at the time though, and didn’t seem to love it so much.

Fast forward to a few years ago when Emily decided to try it again and he loved it.

“At age 10, he became a cat that wanted to go out in the backyard and we ended up going on hikes with him too.”

Keeping their adventures going, no matter what

When we spend so much time bonding with our pets and creating a life full of enrichment, it’s hard to imagine taking that all away from them.

But if something happened to you right now, would they still get to live this life they’ve grown to love and feel safe in?

Putting a Cotl plan in place ensures your pet is taken care of, just the way they’re used to, no matter what happens to you.

🙀 Does A Cat Really Need To Explore The Outdoors?