#MILO THE CAT PORTABLE#
#MILO THE CAT TRIAL#

Eventually, we started taking him on short outdoor adventures - the first was just carrying him outside, sitting down, and letting him see/smell what was going on in the big world. He was unperturbed by the harness even in the beginning stages. It began by just putting a kitten harness on him for short periods of time, and giving him treats during it. We started training Milo at a young age (~12 weeks old) when he was my foster. How did you train your cat to explore with you? He is confident, does not care about a harness being on him, loves people, and cannot hear scary noises. Lastly, and most importantly, he had the right personality for it which I could see right away. I also have always wanted a catexplorer, like my mom who had an amazing cat that would go camping with her. Therefore, leashed adventures were the safest option for Milo to get outdoor enrichment and exercise. Cars, coyotes, and starvation are all a very real concern for him. If he somehow got out, he would not survive very long. Since Milo is deaf (and because of his neurological deficits), I knew we could not let him outside in the back yard unsupervised even for short periods of time. Why did you decide to train your cat to explore with you? The best part is that he would snuggle with me in the hammock and just chill for hours there.

#MILO THE CAT PORTABLE#

We had a portable soft crate that he used for naps, and he obviously slept with us in the tent. He spent most of the daytime on a laundry-line tether system, or was going on leashed adventures with us.

#MILO THE CAT TRIAL#

The first time we took Milo camping (after a trial session in the mountains), he did amazing. Tell us about your most memorable adventure.

Walks through nearby canyons and trails, camping in the summer, and walking around town. What kind of adventures do you like to go on? Running full-speed at trees in an attempt to climb them, and getting chin scratches. His main nickname is Momo, though, from Avatar.

However, this seemed too serious for the goofiest kitten in the world, so we went with 'Milo' which was close to 'Miles' (but a little sillier). My boyfriend wanted to name him 'Miles', after the character 'Tails' from Sonic & Hedgehog. There are two reasons: I always have associated 'Milo' with orange cats, due to the original catexplorer from Milo & Otis, so this was part of the reason. Overall he is a friendly, confident, outgoing cat that loves experiencing new people and adventures!

I then introduced him to car rides and mountain trips - soon he was a catexplorer! He was seen by a neurologist, and they determined his neuro signs were likely from a cerebellar lesion, and his deafness is likely unrelated to the neuro signs. The vet eventually cleared him and I got to adopt him.ĭue to his deafness/neuro deficits, he could only go outside on a leash and he started going on walks with me. Milo continued to receive care and love, and eventually his neuro signs became less severe, he was doing okay, and didn’t seem to have FIP. He was also deaf, which I suspected but was not sure about. Halfway through this, we heard from the Texas rescue that he had had a similar episode to this previously, and barely pulled through. but still did not know what was going on. We became very concerned about FIP - a devastating and completely fatal disease. He was taken to the vet, and prescribed with subQ fluids daily and antibiotics.Īfter this, Milo developed a severe ataxia (wobbly, can’t walk straight, falls over) - even though his fever had resolved. Aside from the head tilt, some intention tremors, and a little circling, he was doing great! But then one day, he was super lethargic and not eating, and his temp was 106.5☏! That is the level where we start to be concerned about the organ failure. Milo did really well the first few days and was an amazingly friendly kitten. I fell in love with Milo and - even though he already had a foster home lined up - took him on as my foster with the intent to adopt. After a thorough exam by the vet, it was determined this was likely a congenital cerebellar issue. He appeared to be a healthy 10-week old except for a notable right-sided head tilt and some other minor neurological abnormalities. As a vet student, I was doing his intake exam (physical exam/deworm/vaccines). Milo (with his sibling & mom) came to the rescue I foster/volunteer with from Texas in April. Tell us the story about how Milo came into your family We asked his mum, Felicia, to tell us about him.

Milo the cat