Bandit is making quite a name for herself on the Canberra cat scene. She can often be spotted at the markets or sitting politely outside a café. But one place Bandit wasn’t allowed to step a paw in was Floriade, much to the disappointment of her owner, who is now calling for fair treatment of four-legged friends.

The feline’s ‘dad’ Anthorr (or Boat as he is better known) had lost his two cats to old age, was coming up to retirement and wanted company when the two met. A friend of Boat’s mentioned someone they knew who volunteered with a cat rescue organisation was looking after kittens. Boat went to meet the remaining kittens and instantly knew the small furry female feline would be his new best friend. A few weeks after completing the paperwork, Bandit was dropped off at Boat’s home, where her personality changed the minute she left the carrier; she began to rule the roost.

“I discovered this amazing personality, she loves people, she loves going out and doing things, she loves being around people,” Boat says.

She has no problem with collars and picked up harness training in four short days. Soon she was in the backpack and headed out the door. Boat has been training Bandit since she moved in; she listens to commands when she is out and about, sitting when asked and knowing she isn’t allowed to scratch or bite people.

“People have got to get away from the fear of their cat. And what I mean by that is the fear that the cat was going to get severely injured or severely hurt or scared from something in the environment,” he says.

The Haig Park Market was the place where Bandit first got her taste of the outside community and the excitement that came with people seeing a cat in a place they didn’t expect. Soon, she was a regular at markets across the capital. Now she is coming up to 18 months old and, in her short life, has attended many iconic Canberra events. Boat and Bandit have made their mark at the Enlighten Festival, Winterfest, the National Folk Festival, Comic Con, with the friendly feline also being a special guest at Catfest.

“She just wandered around the [boho markets] place; not only was it a positive thing for all the people going there because it was so unusual for them but she enjoyed it,” he says.

With her social media growing by the week, Boat wanted to capture some shots of Bandit amongst the flowers at Canberra’s premier tourist attraction, Floriade. Knowing pets weren’t permitted except on the final Sunday (aka Dogs Day Out), Boat says he did the right thing when trying to get Bandit in. He took to social media and asked if cats were welcome; a few days later, he and the few other people who commented were told ‘sure, as long as they were on a lead or in a carrier’.

Boat then contacted organisers to see if he could take Bandit on another day, because, although she is usually fine with dogs, he didn’t want to overwhelm her with a lot more than she would be used to in one place, or unsettle the canines.

“I wanted to get some photos and a few other things, Bandit with the environment with all its bits, the beautiful flowers, and I wanted to make sure I got that opportunity,” he says.

After finding dead-ends on the phone, Boat and the other commenters on social media were told not only could their cats not come on a different day, cats weren’t allowed to come at all. Upset at the revised answer, Boat wrote to Events ACT.  

“Why couldn’t there be one day during Floriade where cats are allowed to come along with one or the other days that are happening?” he says. “You can’t just say no, nobody. Anything else apart from this particular type of animal can go, because that is discriminatory. And I mean under the discrimination act which only covers people, of course, at the present time; there are things to do with a person who owns a cat, are you being discriminatory against them?”

Boat says that organisers shouldn’t make blanket exclusions as not only is it unfair, it turns people off the events. In the case of animals being allowed at events, it should be up to the owner to decide whether their pet is appropriately socialised, and they should be self-managing the animals.

“Like any good risk-averse type things, or risk type mitigation, you get up there and you put that responsibility back on the people. Now, if they’ve got a cat that goes wild all the time and they’re going to take it outside and take it everywhere, they’re not going to be doing that because it’s cruel to them.”

Boat believes a cat friendly day at Floriade wouldn’t be a hazard as for the first few years most would remain in their carriers. Like dogs, not all cats are the same; some will be more inclined to want to go out, while others will be content to stay at home. Bandit tells Boat she wants to go out on a nice day by heading to the door and meowing at him until they leave.  

With the ACT tightening its cat containment laws, which Boat is fully supportive of, he says that people who want their cats to be able to be outside need spaces they can go to.

“You’ve got to have some outlet for those people who want to take the next step with their cats and start to train them like a dog.”

It’s not just Floriade Boat wants to see Bandit and other cats invited to, but many events around the capital, like the Handmade Markets that are held quarterly at EPIC.

“They exclude animals but there’s no reason to because EPIC is quite open for animals. It’s just a policy setting that people have and there’s no reason for it,” he suggests.

Boat says he and Bandit are proof that cats can be trained; when out on the town Bandit is either walking or securely watching the world from Boat’s arms. She isn’t bothered by dogs and is known somewhat as a canine bully, when she sees one she can’t take on she lets her dad know.

“She’ll let me know if they’re a potential threat … she’ll back away very quickly.”

He says this is when he will pick her up until she feels safe again. Boat believes all cats can be trained to be confident outdoors; you have to start by taking them to safe places in a backpack and not just pick them up each time they are frightened.

When the pair first started heading out together, Boat says there were only a couple of cats about in the community, but now he is seeing more.

“I’m seeing so many now, as spring and summer is starting to come out, they’re coming along to the market. You’ll see other cats in backpacks a lot more now and a lot of them are going on leads. It’s not just because of me, it’s obvious I’ve had some influence on that,” he says.

CW contacted local animal welfare organisation, RSPCA ACT for their opinion on taking cats out into the community.

“Access for cats in public spaces is an important conversation to have as more cat owners are exploring walking their cats on a harness and lead. Some cats which are harness trained, confident and social may enjoy such outings and the opportunities it provides to smell and explore new environments,” says CEO Michelle Robertson.

She also acknowledges it is important to assess your pet’s aptitude for social settings and whether their disposition and nature are a match for entering the big wide world.

“RSPCA ACT would encourage owners to ensure their pets are safe, trained and comfortable. We recommend that owners take the unique personality, behaviour, enrichment needs and stress levels of their pet – cat or dog – into account before exposing to them to potential stressful environments where they could encounter other people, children and other pets of same or different species.”

Follow bandit on social media: instagram.com/banditandboat | tiktok.com/@banditandboat | facebook.com

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