A cat who appears to love to travel with his family has delighted the internet.
Oliver, who turns 2 in April, lives in the Netherlands with his family including Joyce and Ahmet and children Aylin and Kaya.
With more than 54,000 followers on social media, Oliver’s adventures delight viewers around the world.
“We love exploring the Netherlands,” Joyce told Newsweek. “We started by taking him out in the car at 16 weeks old and put him in his backpack for safety reasons. He was quite vocal these first rides so we noticed that he didn’t really like car rides while in his backpack.”
In a bid to make Oliver feel more comfortable, they tried out a pet seatbelt and put him between the kids on the backseat.
oliverscatventures/Instagram
“He really liked that actually but he kept trying to climb on our laps to have a look out the window,” said the owner. “He has always been a very curious kitten and loves all adventures; car, bike and hike adventures.”
While traveling with a feline companion may seem unusual, Oliver’s family members are far from the only ones taking their cats on adventures.
Dan Nguyen from New York City also often goes on trips with his cats Spongecake, Mocha, and Donut. Sharing adventures in France, Italy and the U.S, Nguyen told Newsweek that the cats are “family.”
Elsewhere, Chelsea and Nick Hill from Idaho captured viral attention after sharing how they live in a van with three cats, taking their furry friends everywhere with them.
Traveling around their home in the Netherlands, the family have even started to explore further afield with Oliver the cat.
“He has explored Germany and Luxembourg already and we are planning a trip to Austria right now. Aside from hiking adventures he also loves bike rides,” said Joyce. “We often explore our neighborhood and surrounding area, but our most fun bike rides are the ones where he gets to pick up the kids from school.”
After realizing how much Oliver loves to look out of the window while traveling in the car, the family decided to find a more suitable solution to feline travel and purchased a special pet car seat.
“My sister had this car seat for her dog and we thought it would be the perfect car seat for Oliver too because he can look out the window—which he obviously loves—and he is strapped in so I can keep my eyes on the road. Safety first,” said Joyce.
For pet owners looking to take their pets on more adventures, Oliver’s family did have some advice and explained that they started training him in the carrier in the living room from a very early age.
“We just put the carrier in the living room and it stayed there for about two weeks, so Oliver would get in and make it his safe spot. Afterwards we put the car seat in the car and he immediately jumped in,” said Joyce. “If you want to start taking your cat out it’s important to start with a good harness and backpack. This also involves training. Every cat is different, so it’s really important to read their body language. Some cats just immediately love all adventures, including car rides, but others will need some step-by-step training.”
How To Travel With Your Cat
If your cat is showing signs of stress or upset, Joyce explained it is important to take things slowly.
“Start with taking them in your car, on your lap and just sit in the car for a few minutes, leave the engine off. Reward your cat by giving cuddles and treats,” said Joyce. “If the cat is comfortable and doesn’t show any signs of stress you can proceed to the next step by sitting in the car and turning the engine on. Again, keep it short, so the cat will create positive associations.”
When your cat is more comfortable, it is time to start introducing a little drive. Just around 5 minutes at first.
“Most cats have negative associations with car rides, because they associate it (and the carrier) with visits to the vet,” said Joyce. “So it’s important to end the car rides at home. If the cat doesn’t show any signs of stress you can prolong the car rides and even go on adventures.
“The most important aspect of keeping your cat safe during rides is to always have them wear a harness and have them in a carrier,” she added. “The safest option would be a closed carrier, but that can also cause stress. The booster seat we use is a great and safe option too, because the seat comes with a little strap and buckle that you can attach to the harness.”
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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