I enjoy scheming. By that, I mean I find immense joy in planning trips — places to go, things to see and fun activities to do. Recently, I was planning a road trip from Washington back home to California. Since it’ll be at the end of this school year from hell and the start of summer, my partner and I wanted to celebrate by taking our time and stopping to see things along the way.

On the way back, I’m really looking forward to stopping at Mount Shasta and do a little hike. Unfortunately, I have realized that we can’t leave my cat in the car. I don’t want to compromise on this opportunity and miss out on hiking either.  I have been doing some research, and after reading countless reviews, I bought a spaceship backpack for my cat.

I’m not even sure if that’s the right name for it, but it’s a backpack to put your cat (or small dog, rabbit, hamster etc.) in. You would wear it on your back just like any regular backpack. The benefit is that the backpack is made up of clear plastic, so your pet can see the world around you!

When it arrived, I sprayed the inside with catnip to entice my cat. I put the backpack on and walked around my apartment and she was purring the whole time. She was really comfortable in it! Then, I decided to test it out in the real world. My cat has never been outside before, and I thought this would be a good test before I get her a harness and leash to take her on walks. My partner and I visited campus and walked around. For the first 10 minutes, she was loving it. But all of a sudden, my cat’s archenemy — a swath of birds — started circling us and chirping. My cat quickly realized that she couldn’t catch these birds and started meowing and clawing at the backpack. We quickly turned around and went back to the car. 

Overall, $40 for 10 minutes of fresh air with my cat is not a good deal. However, we’re going to keep trying it out where there are less birds and hopefully, she’ll enjoy the mini hike on our road trip down. I would recommend this backpack for cat owners, but just don’t take them to an area populated with birds. Maybe walk around the city for a bit or take your cat around your neighborhood in it if you’re scared of putting them on a leash. 

It’s good to give your cat some fresh air and it’s really fun to go out and not have to leave your cat at home. Get yourself a spaceship backpack and see which places your cat loves the most this summer!