My cat loves to hike in the woods with me, now my other cats are joining

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bud

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us. Is this pack...? ...behavior unusual for cats?
The hiking cat is my avatar, he is 12, neutered, very obedient and affectionate. He of course is the Alpha cat. The other 2 males and 3 females range from 2-10 years old. They stay close together on our walks, are very responsive to their surroundings and come promptly to my call if they wander off the path in pursuit of prey real or imagined. I have been involved with cats all my life and have camped, hiked and traveled with solitary cats for many years but have never seen this "Pack" behavior.
 
My cats would travel in packs as well, with the Alpha cat as the leader. Most people do not have more than 2 cats in their household, so they usually don't see that behavior.
 
I have 3 cats for the first time in my life--before this, we had a pair (one died and we got 2 kittens). I call my pack a "pride" and they are almost always together, running in tandem, sleeping in a heap with us in the bed, or waiting to be fed in the corner by the food cabinet. My pair were always together, best friends since the age of 7 weeks and honestly I didn't think the old guy (14, has cancer) would be friends with the kittens, but it was love at first sight between the 3 of them. I love seeing my pride of mini-lions running around together.
None of my cats go outside so I don't know if they'd hike as a group, but in the house they are almost always together, and near either me or my husband.
I looked for resources online on cat packs, and found this:
Cats can live in groups but they don't need to. For social/pack animals such as humans and dogs, living and functioning as a group is a necessity. The process of domestication facilitates social interaction of cats with other cats and humans. Kittens are usually quite friendly and playful with other cats and their human family. They participate in family functions. We perpetuate these kitten qualities through ongoing care and play with them. The kitten matures physically, but mentally retains kitten-like behavior. Cats that retain kitten-like behavior adjust to and probably prefer group living.
Enjoy your kitty hikes!
 
i don't think this is pack related. i just think they like to walk with you. my cats (all 3) do the same thing when i walk in my neighborhood or even just to get the mail. i think they're just curious and like going with you on adventures!
 
It's not pack behavior, it's pride behavior. Ever watch nature documentaries on how lions hunt together? They walk together until they spot prey, then split up to position themselves for the cooperative hunt.
 
also don't forget that cats are territorial creatures, so if one gets to go explore somewhere, the others want to as well
 
Your cats don't have pack behavior. They think of eachother as family, not a pack. It's rather like a lion pride, perhaps, but they don't think like dogs as in packs, alphas and deltas etc.
And..why do you hike with cats?
 
cats feel like protectors, i think. they like being around you and feel that they are keeping you safe. ever heard a noise in the middle of the night followed by a deep rumble in your cats throat? they are warning you, protecting you from the noise. do you get that, or is it just me?
 
Generally cats are solitary animals, but they do form family units when they are forced to in our homes. It takes some getting used to, but they do adjust. In the wild, the only cat that lives in group is the lion. Another poster mentioned this, but he said something about a pack not being a family, which is exactly what it is. Pack members are family. It is not surprising that cats that live together for a substantial amount of time would exhibit pack like behavior.

I miss walking with my cat in the woods. She really enjoyed it, but there were a lot of mosquitoes out this summer (flood conditions almost all season) and they were eating me and her. Since she had already tested positive for heartworm, it made me paranoid that all the mosquitoes I was seeing were carriers.
 
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