Vancouver Island 'adventure cat' skis, bikes and kayaks
Before Michelle Gagnon figured out her that her cat liked playing fetch outside in the snow, Bodhi was a skittish kitten.
“He’d be like, ‘This is kinda scary,’” Michelle says, imagining her cat’s little voice.
Bodhi was also really curious about the outdoors, so Michelle started taking him for walks around the block on a leash.
It took a while for the cat to be comfortable, but once he was: “He wanted to be outside every second of the day,” she says.
So, when that first winter rolled around, Michelle and Bodhi started skiing together.
“I’d say ‘load-up’ and he’d run up to my shoulders,” Michelle says, before showing a video of the cat perched beside her head as she skied down a slope.
That lead to summers filled with hiking up mountains together and cycling long distance together (Michelle was responsible for peddling the bike and patting Bodhi in the front basket).
“Wherever I went, I’d just take him with me,” she smiles.
Michelle started sharing their adventures on land through her "Bodhi the Adventure Cat" Instagram page before introducing him to water.
“He was like a magnet,” she says, re-enacting how drawn he was to the water.
She says Bohdi started pawing the liquid for a while, before walking right in.
“I thought, 'Wow!'” Michelle laughs. “I should buy Bodhi a paddle board!”
So she did. And paddle-boarding together led to what Michelle says is now Bodhi’s favourite activity to do with her — kayaking.
“He just gets to sit there and watch the shoreline and smell the smells,” Michelle smiles, before showing photos of Bodhi perched on the front of the kayak.
The cat also alerts her to passing wildlife, from otters to orcas.
Bodhi often spots creatures Michelle wouldn’t have seen on land too. There are pictures of the cat watching a large ram and a little bear.
“You can’t get anything by a cat,” Michelle says. “They notice everything.”
They also stop to experience everything, all the time.
“Kitty adventuring is not for people who want direct results,” Michelle laughs.
And that, Michelle says — the fact that her cat is not an adrenaline-junky, goal oriented, Type-A adventurer — is the best part about being with Bohdi.
“You have to go with the flow, enjoy your time in nature,” Michelle smiles. “And appreciate all the little things that they show you.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
All Alberta wildfires to date in 2024 believed to be human-caused: province
There are 63 wildfires burning in Alberta's forest protection area as of Wednesday morning and seven mutual aid fires, including one in the Municipal District of Peace.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Suspects waving weapons, smashing glass in Toronto jewelry store robbery caught on video
Arrests have been made after five men were captured on video rampaging through a jewelry store in Toronto, waving weapons and smashing glass display cases.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
New evidence challenges the Pentagon's account of a horrific attack as the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan: CNN exclusive
New video evidence uncovered by CNN significantly undermines two Pentagon investigations into an ISIS-K suicide attack outside Kabul airport, during the American withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.