I've been walking Gloria regularly for about 8 months. During that time she's grown enormously. She now enjoys riding in the car. Likes to sit calmly with me and observe her surroundings. Has gone from a directed, destination driven walker to a more leisurely and observant walker, taking time to smell the roses, the grasses, and the spoor. But she hadn't, until now, climbed a tree. At one pointI put her up on a branch to clue her in, but she came away unimpressed.
So when she leaned against a tree near a fern, I pulled out my phone to take a picture. I thought that the juxtaposition of the cat, the fern, and the tree made for a great picture. As I took the first picture she began climbing the tree! I quickly took a couple more shots before recovering her, giving her a couple hearty Good Girls, and then guiding her beyond the tree.
I've heard cats described as tree dwellers or bush dwellers. Gloria is neither. She doesn't seek heights nor does she desire to cave. In fact, she seems perfectly satisfied to just be.
That said, she didn't suddenly have an epiphany. She didn't climb any other trees that day or the next. Who knows what the future holds, but while this seemed like another big step in her owning her environment, it didn't exactly make her a tree dweller. And that's okay with me.
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