About Neo
Many people assume I have must have lots of knowledge about cats, that Neo must be a special breed, that I must have begun this training since he was very little.... NOPE!
Neo is my first cat, and he entered my life as my mom's first cat. He was the runt of a feral mother. Sickly and pale white, everyone turned him down, scared of the difficulties caring for a deaf or blind cat (as most albino cats are) might entail. Well, surprise, he grew up! He's not albino, nor blind or deaf (though we suspect he might be hard of hearing!), and he survived his diseases after rigorous care! We raised him with love, but since my family didn't know how to care for cats we did what everyone else did: we let him free roam when he wanted.
It was only after I started investigating cat care and becoming entangled with the local cat rehab that I learned how bad that was, and even then, it took me a big while to convince my mom to allow me to keep him as an inside only cat. My mom, who still didn't know that much about cats (as she only had dogs until then), was concerned that he would feel trapped. She was kind of right- due to our living conditions, the only way to ensure Neo wouldn't be able to escape was to lock him inside one room, and we hardly had time to properly enrich him....
So, finally, when he was 5 years old
I started walking him when I walked our dog.
About the bag
The bag came way later, as for the first couple of years I simply carried him on my shoulders or let him walk next to Shiva. I had quite a hard time acquiring one that wasn't ALL plastic (as I knew that would be a terrible experience for him) and, more importantly, one that would carry his weight. Neo is quite a big cat, and most pet backpacks I could find were only meant to carry a maximum of 5kg.
The first one I got, I bought on discount at a pet store in the city. Only the side pannels are plastic, it has a robust base and big ventilation holes, as well as a leash inside. It did me a good service, but as I was using it I could only think of the next one I would get when this one broke- and break it did, though, being fair, it was only due to my mistreatment: one of the straps, the one I normally put on first (thus putting all the weight on it) ripped. I repaired it, of course, but by that point I knew what we needed in a backpack, and I was ready to invest.
His current backpack I got on amazon (I know, I know.... bad). It's fully canvas, with netted windows all around, the main door opens down, it has a little side window, and it has pockets. It has a maximum carrying weight of.... different sites claim differently. For the record, Neo weights 7kg and it hasn't given in after 2 years of almost daily use, though I did change the base to a more sturdy board and added a plastic tray so I could use it as a litter box in our longer travels. Noting the fate of the last one, I quite like the big handles it has on top. I can hold it by them while I put it on and avoid swinging it by one strap while I settle.
Now, as I said, I wear this thing almost everyday, and while I do think it looks more stylish than most other pet bags, I'm but a little punk at heart so of course I added patches and pins! Most notoriously, "no photos" and "no petting" badges, because people in the city don't know their manners it seems. I also added a stag beetle patch by Nikis to cover the branding, a little handmade trans and queer heart with a trans bow from Arelas I tied onto the big handles. I'll probably keep adding things, so check this part if you're interested!