For some cats, leash walking can be an amazing form of environmental enrichment. But to pursue your adventures with your kitty, you must find a safe walking spot. Taking your cat in a park might be the first idea that crosses your mind, but is it really such a good option?
If you are considering taking your cat for a walk in a park, this blog post is for you. We will discuss some major problems you can encounter when looking for a cat-friendly park and share tips on finding suitable parks for walking your kitty. Then, we will look at some walking spot alternatives you might try instead when taking your cat for a walk. Let’s go!
Are You Ready for the Park?
Walking might be an amazing way of giving your cat safe and controlled access to the outside world. However, this is not a good option for each and every cat. Consider your cat’s personality and preferences before embarking on your first longer walk. If your cat is elderly, very skittish or has territorial anxiety tendencies, walking might not be for them. While it is certainly good to give it a shot, don’t be surprised or upset if your cat decides they would rather stay at home. Check out our previous blog post to see if leash-walking is suitable for your kitty.
Once you have figured out that your cat is an eager walking partner, introduce them to a leash and harness. Also, give your cat time to get used to their carrier or backpack, as you should take it with you for your outings. Go slow and avoid taking your cat to a park before they are ready. Check out our handy guide on leash-walking your cat to learn everything you need to know about preparing your cat for their outdoor adventure.
Choosing the Right Park for Your Cat: Key Factors to Consider
Unfortunately, not all parks are cat-friendly. While obviously, it would be nice to walk your cat to the nearest park in your neighbourhood, there are several issues to consider.
Avoiding Crowds: The Importance of a Quiet Park for Your Cat
Parks are amazing. They are green oases in the middle of concrete jungles, quiet and relaxing spaces where we can slow down and relax. No wonder they tend to be crowded, especially in bigger cities. Unfortunately, crowds and cats do not mix very well. The multitude of people, the hustle, and the noise can be too much for your cat.
Protecting Your Cat from Dogs: Ensuring Your Cat’s Safety
While walking is kind of optional for cats, it is not for dogs. They need to have their daily walks no matter what, and in urban spaces, there is obviously a scarcity of appropriate walking places. For that reason, most of the dogs living in your neighbourhood will end up in your local park. Not every once in a while, as your cat, but three times a day every day. Unfortunately, some of these dogs will likely be running off-leash. That is the biggest problem faced by cat owners who would like to take their kitties for a walk in a local park.
Minimising Traffic Hazards: Finding a Quiet Spot for Your Cat
Parks, especially bigger ones, might be surrounded by a road network. At the same time, some parks have quite some cycling routes. If you are taking your cat for a walk, try to avoid the traffic as much as possible. Instead of letting your cat out immediately after entering the park, carry it until you are further away from all the cars and cyclists.
Tips on Finding Cat-Friendly Parks
As you can see, parks are not always an optimal walking spot for your cat. However, there are some tricks you can use to carve out some safe space for you and your kitty.
Look for Dogs Restricted Areas
Whenever you can, look for dog-restricted areas. Many parks have inner gardens and other enclosed spaces where dogs are not allowed. You might also find some small enclosed gardens hidden between buildings in residential areas. While such spaces are often relatively small, walking with cats is much less about covering a big distance and much more about letting them explore the area. While dog-restricted areas do not guarantee you will not meet any dogs, the chances are considerably lower.
Choose the Right Timing
If you can’t find dog-restricted areas in your neighbourhood, you can play around with the timing of your outings. Your busy local park might be a relatively safe and quiet place if you go there outside peak times. To avoid dogs, try out very early mornings and late evenings. As cats are crepuscular animals wired to hunt mostly at dawn and dusk, such timings would coincide nicely with their peak activity time. In case your local park stays open the entire time, you might even go out late at night. If you have flexible working hours, try taking advantage of the regular office opening hours and check out what the park looks like around early noon.
Go for a Test Walk
Before you take your cat to the park, it’s good to go for a few solo walks to test the ground. Go at different times and check how many people and dogs you encounter. Try different places, too. Perhaps walking for 15 minutes more takes you to a much quieter and more peaceful place. Remember, you will not cover a huge distance when walking with your cat. Small parks, enclosed gardens or even bigger squares hidden between buildings might work just fine.
Perfect Walking Spot: Park or Alternatives?
Finding the right park to walk your cat is not always easy, and sometimes, you might conclude that there is nothing suitable in your area. Luckily, you can try many alternative walking spots, which might turn out more cat-friendly.
Explore Quieter Options: Walking Your Cat in Woods or Meadows
Consider driving your cat to some woods and meadows outside the town. Such places are far quieter alternatives to urban parks. If your furry friend still needs to get used to driving, check out our guide on car-training cats.
Utilise Your Backyard: A Convenient and Safe Space for Cat Walks
Sometimes, the best places might be in front of our very eyes. Backyards might not be big and pretty, but they offer an enclosed space near your home. It is worth checking those spaces out, especially during your first couple of walks.
Consider Residential Alleys: Quiet Evening Walks for Your Cat
This option is conditional, as it depends on whether there are many free-roaming cats in your area, and it will likely only work well late in the evening. Nevertheless, as most dog owners take their pets to the nearest parks, residential streets might be relatively quiet. Picking up such quiet streets and alleys between buildings might be a more peaceful and safer option to leash walk your cat.
Discover Old Graveyards: Unusual but Peaceful Walking Spots
As creepy as it sounds, old graveyards are turned into squares and walking places in certain places, and some of these are pet-friendly. While other people and dogs might also be walking there, old graveyards can still offer a relatively quiet space for your walk.
Explore Private Gardens: Safe and Tranquil Walking Spaces for Your Cat
It does not even have to be your garden. Perhaps you have some cat-loving family or friends who would like to invite you and your cat for a little visit. The most obvious advantage of such places is the absence of other people and dogs.
Explore the Interactive Map for Cat-Friendly Walking Spots
I recently found this amazing interactive map that highlights cat-friendly walking spots, and it’s too good not to share! The map is crowd-sourced, with recommendations from fellow cat lovers. While pin density varies by region, if you are based in the UK, USA, Australia, or Northern Europe, you might get lucky and discover some great new spots!
Final Thoughts on Walking Your Cat in Parks
Taking your cat for a walk in a park might be a great idea, but not all parks are cat-friendly. Most importantly, it’s better to avoid overly crowded places where people tend to walk their dogs. For this reason, try to look for a dog-restricted area within the park or pick up small enclosed gardens and squares instead. Alternatively, play around with the timing of your outings, as going at certain times of the day (and night!) might make the place much more peaceful.
Finally, remember that you could use several great but less obvious alternative walking spots instead. A simple night-time walk on some residential streets around your house, or even a visit to an old local graveyard, might sometimes be a better option than a crowded park.
Let us know in the comments if you have a nice and cat-friendly park in your area. If not, in what other places do you like to walk your kitties? We would love to hear from you!