On Lockdown: House Cat Safari

We are going a bit batty as we are into week 6 of our lockdown and really miss traveling. We unfortunately had to cancel the safari we were so looking forward to but decided that we would improvise and do a stay-at-home safari with our favorite wild animal of all, Sumi, our rescued cat.

Observing wildlife in any setting takes patience and it is always useful to familiarize yourself with the routine and habits of the creatures you want to see. Knowing where and when to find the critters you want to observe makes them that much easier to spot.

After years of observation, we have identified some of our cat’s preferred spots. During the day she’s usually sleeping on her chair or next to me while I’m working. In the evening we often see her sitting atop her preferred perch in the living room keeping an eye out for intruders.

The other day, while airing out our condo a fly made it into the room. Definitely an unwanted guest, Sumi chased and terrorized the fly for hours. Luckily, for us, she tolerates us and lets us cross her territory!

Like many animals, cats are creatures of habit. Ours is often seen making her way across the wide expanse of the living room, walking through the forest of table legs and finding the rays of sunlight as they warm up her favorite spots.

While typically nocturnal hunters, cats are also intelligent and adaptable, they will change their habits to adapt to their environment. In Sumi’s case, hearing us walk to the coffee machine in the morning is a good opportunity to rub up against our legs reminding us to also open up a can for her to feast on. A pretty easy kill.

Like the lions we saw perched on the kopjes in the Serengeti, she loves to climb the furniture to get a good perch from which to observe and rule her kingdom of toy mice.

Cats also have to adjust their diet to include some veggies, this is actually instinctual from what research shows. While Sumi doesn’t have large fields of grass in her domain, she can often be spotted climbing the TV stand where she can easily munch on her favorite house plant. We actually bought it for her in order to attract her for great photo opts, sort of like a watering hole at a safari lodge.

Cats sleep approximately 15 hours a day, sometime more (up to 20 hours). Just like big cats, house cats are nocturnal animals and prefer to roam around in the late hours of the night. This is when they are most active.

Our cat loves to walk all over us while we sleep—bringing us a toy mouse and meowing loudly to entice us to get up and play with her. She doesn’t care about any important meetings we may have the next morning, what could possibly be more interesting than her favorite blue mouse?

Felines have excellent hearing and notice even the faintest sound from quite a distance. At the sound of the rustling of a bag of Temptations, Sumi appears out of nowhere and is ready to gobble up her fresh kill. This works way better than trying to mimic mating sounds or distress calls like the safari guides may do.

Unlike dogs, cats save food for later whilst keeping an eye out for would-be thieves. As the alpha predator in her environment, Sumi is not afraid to leave her kills openly in her bowl for later, no need to drag them up a tree or onto the furniture (thank God!). I guess she is not worried about us eating them.

For a better house cat safari experience, it’s recommended to pay attention to your feline’s habits and identifying their preferred resting and hiding spots. Cats are really good at hiding in plain sight and ours blends in quite well with her environment.

Conclusion

If you’re stuck at home and miss interacting with wildlife. Going on a house cat safari can keep you and your kids busy for a few hours. No need to fret, if you don’t have a cat, you can also do this with your dog. No Dog? Dress your spouse up as your favorite animal and have them play along, ha ha!

It’s also a great way to learn more about your pet. If you don’t have a pet, you may consider adopting or fostering one, or simply look outside and try to spot different birds. There is solace in the amazing wonders of nature.