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
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'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.