Dweezil has been taking trips to the river since he was just weeks old, and he loves every minute of it.
Dweezil. It’s quite the unusual name, isn’t it? Well, it only makes sense that such a unique kitty would have a less than normal name. We’ve cooked up a Black-Furiday special for one of the coolest traveling cats we’ve ever met.
Normally, we would do our Frisky Feline Feature interview-style, but Dweezil’s owner Kai is such a good writer, we thought we’d let her take the wheel!
“I knew that I was going to train him to walk on a leash and more.”
Hello! My name is Kai, and I am 14 years old. [I’ve] have had cats my whole life. I have always loved cats but wanted a dog. The only reason I wanted one was because you can train them, walk them, and take them places. Other than that, I liked cats, but I knew we couldn’t get a dog because my dad and sister are allergic. One day, one of my mom’s friends sent us an adorable picture of a kitten and told us that someone she knows was trying to find a home for it. She said that a cat got into their garage and had four kittens.
Dweezil, called ‘Runt’ at the time, was the runt of the litter and the only kitten left. He was [only] 10 weeks old. It took a lot of begging, but eventually we decided to get him. I knew that I was going to train him to walk on a leash and more. Also, I am home schooled, and Dweezil is a lot of fun to have around. He lays on his window shelf every morning while I sit at my desk and [he] will occasionally come over to rub on my face. He makes me happy and is a good friend to hang out with during school.
“Once [Dweezil] got his shots to go outside, I started to practice walking him in the backyard until he felt comfortable.”
I started training him immediately. I started with sit because it is the easiest to teach, but it was hard with a 10 week old crazy kitten. After he learned to sit, the other tricks were easier because he then understood that he got a treat for doing a trick. Next, he learned to not mind a harness, come when called, high five, stand, jump over my arm, etc.
Once he got his shots to go outside, I started to practice walking him in the backyard until he felt comfortable. Then I started to take him in the front yard; once he got used to that, I took him to the park. The park can be a little crazy for him so I started taking him to the American river, and he loves it. He loves watching ducks and geese! He also likes to hike the trails, taste the grass, roll around in dirt, chase bugs and explore.
“But, to adventure with a cat, you have to be patient.”
I love adventuring with Dweezil because it gets us to go places and gives us a reason to go to the river. Also, I think that it is good to give Dweezil a chance to explore the wilderness and give him some exercise to work off all of the treats he gets for doing tricks.
But, to adventure with a cat, you have to be patient. Even though it can be hard to train a cat in the end, when you get to take them on adventures, it is very rewarding, and I have a blast every time. I think that it is so fun to experience things with your cat. I am so proud of Dweezil, and I feel like he gets braver each time we go out. In the future, I plan on our adventures getting bigger, longer, and farther!
