I quizzed this in the group early last month and can now report on how
things went.
Training was taking the cat for a number of short local trips to bush
land. Okay, we actually managed 2 and found out
a) cats do know how to make cats craddles with their lead.
b) a cat will go bush walking, but only down hill (hey it wanted to).
So van loaded to hilt and new medium dog size carry cage installed for
cat, cat was loaded and we set off. Hourly stops to cater for cat "needs".
Okay, cat cries continuously to first stop, where wife puts it out
(mistake), it jump straight back in, then finally jumps out, tangles
lead around wheel then jumps back in and goes to back of van.
Then we left it out of cage and cat chooses it's position as middle of
front bench seat, which is okay so long as non-driving partner learns to
intercept dash board exploring and moves towards driver for pat.
Second stop it investigates picnic shelter shed, then runs back to van
and hidey hole.
Third stop was something similar, but from them on whenever the van did
anything like slowing down to stop, cat promptly departed for hiddy hole
in rear of van and didn't return until van was underway again.
By the time we were returning, cat was straight into the routine of "oh,
your stopping, I'm hiding", although, it did like to stand on the dash
and check out any town we drove through. "Bush = ho hum".
In a bush camp, it managed to slip it's harness (bugger) whilst we were
setting up, then spend it's time basically wandering around with in the
camp site chasing insects. It's routine became, arise in late afternnon,
annoy the local insects (yep it totally ignored birds and lizards (home
favourite) ), annoy us at 3am when it announced that it was going to
bed, which was under our raised mattress, where it slept until late
afternoon.
By the end of a fortnight, it range was about 50 feet from tent, no more.
Last couple of days we transferred to a farm house, where it was locked
in of an evening (normal routine).
Funny event one was all packed and ready to go and no cat. Searched
house twice and finally called in cousins and their dog to located it
(perhaps it had escaped under house). Turned out wife had checked on cat
(sleeping under bed) once too often for it's liking, so it jumped to top
of wardrobe and slipped into baby car seat under rocking horse and
wasn't spotted until it poked head up enough for cousin to spot two ears
listening.
Funny event two was wife standing for five minutes after we arrived home
saying "Well are you going to get out. we're home" whilst your truely
slowly unpack various items. First place it goes is under house, then
covered with cob webs, it want tucker.
And vaguley bicycle related, that cat wasn't the least bit interested in
the bicyclist on red recumbent trike (Greenspeed GTE?) that entered
Junee about 6:45pm on Thursday 5th ?January from the correctional centre
road.