Do cats like being taken for walks or is it an Instagram fad?

Is taking your cat for a walk good for them or just good for TikTok?7 hours agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleRowenna HoskinBBC WalesManda GlasspellFifi loves the forest, says her owner Lucy FrancomRoo has her harness on and her owner Alana Kestle has her lead in hand - the pair are ready to go out for a walk.Except Roo is a cat and she is far from the only puss heading out for walkies.TikTok and Instagram have seen an explosion of adventure cat content over the past few years - pets perched on paddleboards, scaling mountains or trotting on beaches.With more young people living in flats in cities, supervised outdoor time allows their cats to get outdoor enrichment without the risk of being run over, say owners.Cat expert Emily Blackwell said, while she does not condemn the practice, she also does not recommend it - adding that it depends on the cat and owner to make it a success. Cats Protection urged would-be owners to choose a cat that can "thrive within the environment and lifestyle you can offer rather than attempting to force the cat to adjust"."I would say the majority of cat owners that are putting in the weeks and months of time to harness train, slowly get them used to the backpack and taking them out are good owners who are wanting to keep their cats safe," said Alana.When Roo was first adopted by 22-year-old Alana and her partner, both from Cardiff, the little kitten was meant to be an indoor cat.But then videos of cats being walked on leads started filling her social media feeds, so the couple decided to try it.Alana KestleRoo is very smart and uses talking cat buttons to talk at home, says AlanaAs a third-year veterinary student at the University of Surrey, Alana has seen the dangers free-roaming cats face, such as being run over, fights and disease.The couple began by trying different harnesses and getting Roo used to it in the house before introducing a travel backpack Roo could use if she needed a safe space while out and abou...