Thanks to my work, writing pet industry and pet consumer articles for magazines and online outlets, I interview lots of amazing people and pioneers. The latest one to catch my fancy? A cat named Bug, who hikes, canoes, and sometimes oversees events at her human companion’s veterinary practice (Westside Family Pet Clinic in Madison, Wisconsin).
OK, I might be a tad partial to Bug since that’s one of Lilly’s nicknames, but she is an awesome, awesome kitty. Observe.

You can read Bug’s first blog post, which reads in part:
“Adventure is my middle name. I have been labeled an adventurer because I LOVE to ride in cars, LOVE to camp, climb trees, and get along with all types of dogs we meet hiking (yes, I LOVE to hike, too!). Dr Ken has already taken me camping 3 times including 3 State Parks and forests. I have even been fishing with him and took a ride in the canoe. Last weekend I even put my toes in Lake Michigan. It was windy and the water was cold but the waves didn’t scare me a bit!”
Want proof?
These are Bug’s paw prints in the sand of Lake Michigan.
I also love this blog post, where Bug answers all the frequently asked questions about her adventurous life, including this one:
“How did Dr Ken teach me to hike? He didn’t teach me. I knew how already. He just was brave enough to try.”
***
I love all the photos of Bug hiking and camping and climbing trees, but this picture of her hanging out during a Halloween party about slayed me.
Howdy, Sheriff!
Wow… go Bug! I love hearing about Bug and his hiking… very cool.
You don’t see too many cats out hiking, Bug certainly is an adventurer! Not too surprising that such a cool cat is from Wisconsin. He’s probably a Packers fan too. =D
My cat Salem used to love camping & traveling in the RV. She loved to go out on her harness & leash and explore with us. She started traveling at age 5 weeks, She passed away 2 yrs ago and we miss her. We have 5 rescue kitties & 3 dogs who travel in the RV but none of the cats like to go out like Salem did they prefer to see the world through the windows
Omigosh! I love Bug! That is so awesome. I think people often think cats can’t do these things, but Bug proves they can.
I once knew woman who would take her cats out on a leash for a walk and my friend Marty takes his two cats for a walk, off-leash, every evening. His cats love it.
Great story to share!
Hi, I am looking for some good camping tips and I found yours blog. I am planning to go for camping after this winter. I also liked your blog topic as well… I am also collecting the listing of campground directory
Hi Y’all,
What a neat cat!
Y’all come by now,
Hawk aka BrownDog
This is incredible! I’ve tried to acclimate my cats to new adventures via leash and harness, but the reality is that they’d rather hike and climb around our house. Bug gives me hope that we might find a “road kitty” someday, though.
Yay! What a great adventure kitty.
After seeing kitties on leash at BlogPaws, I’ve been wondering how many cats would enjoy doing the things that dogs do if they were only exposed to them as youngsters.
I don’t see a reason in the world that many cats wouldn’t enjoy hiking. Thanks for sharing Bug’s story with us.