Meet the adventurous moggie which loves going HILLWALKING with her owner – who says cats should have the same freedom as dogs.
Charlie the cat has just started to be let off the leash by owner Fiona Milne, 50, when they go for hikes together with a pal.
Fiona introduced Charlie to hillwalking slowly, first of all using a lead, but now lets her run free, picking her up if they see dogs.
These pictures show Charlie, a two-year-old moggie, happily trotting after her owner, on Greenock Cut, Inverclyde.
Fiona said: “We have not quite got her to the munros, but she goes out with us when we go for walks.
“She just follows along behind us.
“She just loves it.
“I started taking her out on a little harness, and we only take her to safe areas.
“When we go for a walk, we take Charlie.
“We sort of got her used to being out on a lead.
“It is just amazing, especially the reaction from people.
“We tend to take her to places which are quite open, so we can see if there’s a dog coming and pick her up.
“People stop us and say ‘we’ve never seen anything like it’.
“Being off the lead, she sticks by us.
“We want to show people what a cat can do.
“Everything Charlie does is what a dog would do.”
Charlie spent most of her life as an indoor cat in Fiona’s home in Glasgow.
But when she was let out, she was bitten by either another cat or a dog, so now the only times she goes outdoors are on trips to the countryside.
Employment adviser Fiona said: “People ask a lot of questions, like ‘are you nervous about her going up a tree?’.
“The only time I think she might run up a tree is if a dog was around.
“I think it’s more exciting for her going for walks.
“She’s got a wee adventurous spirit.
“Hopefully it will inspire a few more people to broaden their cat’s horizons.”
