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Daily stroller walks with foster kittens improved my fitness, mood and routine.

Key Points

• Even though I have dogs, getting foster kittens helped me go on more walks.
• I noticed more muscle and reduced anxiety as I got more movement.
• The kittens also socialize and enjoy the fresh air on our walks.

When my family moved to a quiet beach town in Florida a decade ago, I imagined myself out in the year-round warm weather, riding my bike to the grocery store and taking walks by the ocean every single morning. I did those things in the beginning, but as I settled into life in the Sunshine State, it became easier to take the lack of snow and freezing temperatures for granted. I walked a lot less, really only making a short loop around the block with my dogs most days.

But something unexpected happened late last year. I started fostering kittens and had the wild idea to purchase a pet stroller and take them along on my dog walks. Even more surprising? The kittens seemed to love going outside, and I found myself walking several times a day for longer stretches each time.

How Walking Foster Kittens Has Benefited My Health

In the six months I’ve been volunteering with the kitten rescue, I’ve more than doubled my average step count, from around 7,000 steps per day to close to 15,000. I’ve purchased a weighted vest to wear on my walks and have seen my muscle mass increase quite a bit. And, my anxiety levels have gone down thanks to the increase in exercise, something that’s allowed me to adjust some of my anxiety medications and stop others completely (with my doctor’s blessing).

I’ve fostered as many as five kittens at a time, and love nestling them all into my stroller for our usually twice-daily walks. I’ve even purchased a second, double-decker stroller to use when I have more kitties than will fit into my original stroller. Armed with my AirPods, a good podcast or audiobook and a bottle of water, I walk my kittens all over the neighborhood, even to the coffee shop in my town and to the beach boardwalk near my home.

Stroller Walks Benefit My Foster Kittens, Too

Walking my “kitten cart” around my small town has drawn the interest of my neighbors, and I’m proud to say I’ve personally found homes for several kittens just by people meeting them in the neighborhood. I got so much interest in my kittens, in fact, that I created a sign to tie to the stroller that directs neighbors who scan the QR code to the rescue’s adoption application.

At adoption events when my foster kitties find their forever homes, I tell the families how they’ve been walked all over town in a stroller and have been exposed to other people and strange noises, making them less skittish. More than once, the adopter has later texted me photos of their new kitten in a stroller, saying they went out and purchased one themselves to keep up the habit. I’ve often joked that I should start a stroller fitness class for crazy cat ladies, so we could all meet up in the park and walk our kittens together.

While I can feel the benefits of increased walking in my own body—things like boosted mood, stronger muscles, increased flexibility, improved cardiovascular endurance and, yes, even a bit of weight loss—I was curious what the benefits may be to the kittens I foster. So I chatted with Nina Verruso, the executive director of the Kitten Angel Rescuewhere I volunteer. Verruso says she’s seen firsthand how my kitties have benefited from stroller walks.

“The benefit is definitely enjoying the fresh air while safe in the stroller,” says Verruso. “Every cat is unique, but for people with social cats that enjoy human interaction, taking them on a safe stroller walk can be very enjoyable.”

When it comes to keeping cats and kittens safe on outdoor walks, Verruso offers some advice. “I recommend starting with short walks to get the cat used to it,” she explains. “Most kittens don’t mind, so it’s always a good idea to start them young.”

I Never Imagined Kitten Walks Would Become Part of My Day

At present, I take my kittens on a 20- to 30-minute stroller walk every morning, then another one of similar length at night, averaging 2 to 3 miles walked per day. Once I know a group of kittens is comfortable with longer walks, we walk to our local coffee shop as well, about a 45-minute walk round-trip.

When my kids, who are now teenagers, were babies, I’d always take them for stroller walks, saying that getting some fresh air and sunshine every day was good for them. These days, I walk a different kind of baby in my stroller, but the benefits, I’m sure, are exactly the same.

Now, I get stopped at the grocery store or while pumping gas and asked, “Are you the lady who walks kittens around in a stroller?” It’s always a delight to get recognized. After all, in my mid-40s, I’m more comfortable in my own skin than ever and thrilled to be the neighborhood’s crazy cat lady, especially since pushing kittens in a stroller has improved my own health in ways I never imagined.