He’s a mountain rescue cat! Orion braves the elements as he climbs Wales’ highest summit Snowdon with a bit of help from his owner who took him home from animal shelter

  • Orion, the rescue cat, climbed Mount Snowdon in Wales and Sugar Loaf Mountain with Katie (31), and Pongo her pet lurcher.
  • Part Maine Coon primarily walked 1,085m up Wales’ highest mountain.
  • Katie (Bracknell) started Orion adventures with Orion at the age of nine weeks. 
  • Orion often travels with Katie. He has even been on camping trips.  










With his owner and lurcher friend, a rescue cat has become an adventurer. 

Katie Bowen (31-year-old veterinary nurse) saved Orion around two years ago after he had been brought to her rescue center from being separated from his mother.

Orion, part Maine Coon was only two days old at the time he reached the centre. Katie of Bracknell (Berkshire) took on the responsibility to hand-feed them. 

Katie said that she was a veterinarian nurse at a rescue center. We would frequently get kittens brought into our home and Orion, his brother, was my lucky match. They were small. 

“No one really knows much about him.” [Orion’s]Background or his dog breed. 

Orion began walking with a harness at nine weeks, so that he could accompany owner Katie on her trips. Pictured - Orion at the top of Mount Snowdon earlier this year.

Orion started walking at 9 weeks old with a harness so that Katie could take him on trips. Orion on the summit of Mount Snowdon, earlier in this year. 

Orion was a gentle, loving, and affectionate cat that she fell in love. Pongo, her five year-old lurcher decided to adopt him. 

Katie introduced Orion at nine weeks old to her love for rambling and trained him to wear a harness to allow him to accompany her to all her adventures. 

“I was thinking, Pongo takes Pongo on these adventures. Why shouldn’t Orion also be part of this?”  

Even ‘Orion goes on vacation. We spend most of our vacations camping or driving in vans. Then we just get on the road.  

“When we give a pitch for camp, the dog likes to take a seat on a picnic table to look around at all of our campsite.  

Orion and Katie have made eight days of their trip to Wales with Pongo and Mount Snowdon this year.   

At nine weeks of age, Katie decided to introduce Orion to her love of rambling through the countryside, training him on a harness so that he could come on camping trips

Katie, nine weeks old, decided to bring Orion along on her love of walking through the country. She trained Orion on a harness, so that Orion could go on camping trips. 

Katie said, “I had to lift him up Snowdon but we all climbed it together.” 

She revealed, however that Orion likes to be close to the ground. 

She said that he prefers to walk in the woods. Snowdon was not his favorite expedition, as it was windy. He hid in my cat carrier for some parts of the trip. 

“But, we got a picture of him at Snowdon’s top and he took some pictures along the way. He loved the experience.   

Orion's latest adventure saw him scale Snowdon, the highest peak in Wales

Orion scaled Snowdon in his latest expedition. 

Orion has had many adventures that have made him a confident and able-bodied person. 

Katie is a firm believer in Orion following her lead. 

She stated, “I do this to his safety. But he still gets into mischief.” 

Katie wants to prove that cats can walk with their owners with proper training.   

‘I would say just pick up a harness, they are really cheap, and see if your cat accepts it,’ she said.

‘For the first walk I would choose somewhere quiet and just go at your cat’s pace. Some cats just aren’t going to want to do it, especially if you’re starting with an older animal.

‘But if your cat enjoys walking it can be an amazing experience. I really encourage feline owners to try it.’

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