Cat's Rewilding Adventures

When I left for a “gap year around the world” in Jan 2020, I left my cat, Ellie, behind with a friend to care for her. She was 7 and was an apartment cat. When the pandemic sent me home the beginning of April of that year, 9 months early, I returned to find her belly completely bald of fur. She had licked herself bald out of stress and anxiety without me. It was heartbreaking. This is what made me begin trying to take her on travels with me. She now loves the adventures as much as we do and prefers being with us instead of being left behind and cared for by others. It took some short practice trips to the beach, weekends etc to get her started. Now she’s been to 2 countries, 9 states, and more national and state parks than most Americans (she stays in the camper wherever pets aren’t allowed and has heat and ac). This next year she’ll enter her 3rd country. She has blossomed into her happiest and most wild self, enjoys the feeling of ground beneath her paws, scratching on rocks and trees, and exploring, and is much more playful than I ever saw her be in indoor settings. She is rewilding as much as I am and together, wherever we are feels like home.