Soij's Adventure in Battlefields Park (Plaines d'Abraham)

Cat care-takers, have you ever seen anyone out with their cat freely and wondered if you and your cat could do the same? I've asked myself that many times, and as close as we are to the largest park here, we never thought about taking our cat there. However, since we've been getting much nicer weather this summer, we said to ourselves, "Why not try to take her to the park?"

We're very fortunate to live 1 minute away from the Plaines d'Abraham, which is the equivalent of NY Central Park in Quebec City. The park is also where the British defeated the French in 1759 and lead to Canada becoming a bilingual country. You wouldn't have imagined that all that happened on such a peaceful and beautiful field. 

 

A has always been more worried about Soji running away, so, of course, the crazy idea of taking her to the park and letting her out of the carrier was mine. That means I had to sell it to my hubby first. Fortunately, here, the park is usually very quiet and not too busy with people or traffic. We don't have to worry about her being scared by the noise pollution or the danger of cars like we did in NY, but still, letting a domestic pet go wild in public can be very risky. Having lived indoors for over 12 years, she could react very differently and possibly run away, or end up having too much stress....etc., but for some reason, my intuition told me that I would be able to "handle" all these. I did my best to convince him and gave my word that nothing would happen (without knowing for sure that nothing would happen, of course), and he finally agreed.

She was a little bit frightened at first, because when we put her in the carrier, it usually means some unpleasant experience might be awaiting her (such as a doctor's visit). After we let her out in the park and she realized that she wouldn't be seeing someone in a white robe with a needle in their hand, she was a bit more at ease, but I could tell that she was not very comfortable. Neither was A, and we didn't end up staying long.

The second time, however, was different. Once we let her out of her carrier, she started walking around, sniffing the grass and the fresh air, and enjoying the natural sunlight. Boy, she was loving this! She had gotten much more comfortable this time; she wanted to venture further and further and I had to keep on retrieving her. At one point, I gave up and decided to just walk with her. (Hey, I thought I was going to the park to relax!!!) That's what I get for coming up with the idea! 



 

Soji was curious, but not that curious; occasionally when she heard people walking nearby, she would quickly run back to our picnic blanket and hide behind me (Yeah, she uses me like that a lot......). Somehow, upon hearing someone open a bag of chips at a picnic table near us, she became even more courageous, and started running toward their table (as if I hadn't given her any snack already!). Since she was the only cat in the park, she drew their attention. They thought she was just a kitten, which made her very happy. For those of you who don't know her age, I won't insult an elderly "woman" and give away her age, but let's just say she's over 10! Yep, I bet you can't tell from her picture. And believe me, she's been fooling lots of people that way, including some vets!

Well, as it turned out, Soji did not want to leave the park as we were getting ready to go; after all, she's supposed to like nature, right? That is her instinct. I don't know what will happen the next time we take her, but one thing I know for sure, it'll always be an adventure with Soji!

Information for cat care-takers: I've read that it's good to let your cats have some grass every once in a while. It is normal for a healthy kitty to want to eat it. It is known that the fiber in the grass may be healthy for the digestive tract and in domestic cats may aid with the passage of hair swallowed during normal grooming. Don't be surprised if yous cat vomits up some hairballs after having some grass. It is not a bad thing. Some also say that it may help them to get rid of poisons or help them to relieve inflammation of their throats. 

 

To plan your visit to the park:

Plains of Abraham Park