'Walking my cat on a lead changed my life'

Adventures of cats like Moss are being increasingly shared on social media

The escapades of cats on leads, which are photographed as they take in the sights of the world, are racking up millions of online views. To learn more about the phenomenon the BBC spoke to three owners of so-called "adventure cats", who have roamed the British countryside with their feline companions, about why they chose to take their pets on outdoor adventures.

'He's fearless, nothing fazes him'

Jade de Monyé bought Figaro, a Maine Coon cross Ragdoll, after a previous pet was killed on the road.

Inspired by world-travelling adventure cat Suki, Ms de Monyé, from Shropshire, decided to harness train Figaro from the off.

"He's fearless, nothing fazes him," she said, adding that Figaro took to the harness straight away and within a week she took him out, later introducing a carrier.

"I've never seen a cat that's so happy to just be out - he's always got the little happy high tail, his eyes are never big and scary," she said.

"I'll open the car door with his lead on and it's up to him if he wants to get out. I never push him into anything."

Jade de Monyé always phones public venues ahead to check whether she can bring Figaro and avoids places with dogs off leads

Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2019, Ms de Monyé said taking Figaro on walks had "changed her life".

"On my days off I'd just shut myself away and feel sorry for myself," she said. "He almost forces me to get out of the house."

"It's not like walking a dog," she said. "It's going where the cat wants to go. He does like to sit a lot at the water's edge and just watch all the birds.

"You can 100% train a cat, it's just a lot harder," she added.

"Now I'm just the crazy lady that constantly repeats herself at a cat."

They 'love the van'

Sydney and Roland travel around town in a buggy nicknamed the "meow-cedes Benz"

Anna Dukes, from Great Wyrley, Staffordshire, takes her Sphynx and Blue Point Siamese away in her camper van.

Roland and Sydney, both now three, "just love the van", Ms Dukes said.

The cats have explored campsites and beaches across the UK, although they prefer to avoid seawater.

"There are signs saying no dogs on the beach, but it doesn't say anything about cats," Ms Dukes said.

"I'm always mindful if they're on the lead as I've been told, no matter what, cats can escape if they want to."

Cautious about dogs and people with allergies, Ms Dukes and wife Sarah stay outside pubs and cafes, with the cats in their "meow-cedes Benz" buggy.

"If you can get over people looking and staring… I'd rather them be with us and have a good time," Ms Dukes said.

'She loves camping'

Jordan Gregory, 30 and Jess Young, 28, consulted a vet before taking British Shorthair, Moss, out on a lead.

"We didn't want her to just stay indoors all the time," Mr Gregory said.

The couple have since moved from a flat in London to a larger home near Chingford with a garden, but still take the "chilled out" feline out in a specialist backpack.

"We don't have a car so travel everywhere by train," Mr Gregory said. "She'll go to Waterloo in the bag. On the train we'll take her out... and she'll just sit on our laps."

Once Moss "freaked out" on a train and tried to jump down, but she is always kept on a lead as a precaution.

She has climbed a mountain in the Lake District and, although she "prefers not to be rained on", also "loves being in a tent," Mr Gregory said.

"There are some people who don't really get it or somehow take offence," he added. "[But] I don't think I'm subjecting her to some kind of cruelty."

'A growing trend'

The RSPCA advises introducing cats to a lead in a "gradual and positive manner"

Cats Protection said while there was a "growing trend" to take cats out on leads, for some it may be stressful.

Behaviour officer Daniel Warren-Cummings explained cats liked to explore environments at their own pace and easily hide when threatened.

Cats shown on leads on social media "usually make up a very small number of owners who have tried to get their cat on a harness and have had a disastrous experience," he added.

An RSPCA spokesperson said owners who felt a lead would not be stressful should introduce it in a "gradual and positive manner".

"If any signs of distress are seen, such as the cat trying to pull away or get away, then this should be stopped immediately," they added.