Pistachio is a white tabby with a unique sense of adventure. I say unique in that he joins the ranks as a ‘lazy adventure cat’. These are the cats who have taken their lives out of the suburbs and into nature – those who choose to take their morning naps on a log in a forest, or sunbathe on the beach. All the while ensuring that they never over exert themselves, for as they could all attest, nature is best enjoyed without breaking a sweat! Pistachio’s adventures are had all up and down the New South Wales coast and today we were meeting him and his devoted owners, Kirrily and Casey, in a beautiful patch of forest in the Coffs Harbour hinterland. We had been following them for quite a while on their instagram @hellopistachio. On their outings, Kirrily beautifully captures the quiet dignity of a cat just watching the world go by on some of Australia’s most spectacular beaches, and adorably so. I knew I had to meet them. Today we were in Orara state forest, a subtropical paradise with towering Gum trees and Piccabeen palms. As Willow and I arrived at the little picnic spot we saw that they were already out exploring. Down by the stream, a pensive Pistachio carefully chose his footing as he walked over the river stones and fallen leaves, his feet already wet. With Willow safely in the van for the time being, I clambered down to the water and introduced myself. “.. and this must be Pistachio!” The stream was just a trickle in parts and with my flip flops in the water I knelt down to take some photos of the cat I had been hoping to meet for so long. Now Pistachio, who Kirrily describes as an ‘attention sponge’, took this as an opportunity to walk right up to me and ask for a pat. And of course I obliged, receiving many nose boops and purrs in thanks. “He is so friendly!” I exclaimed. “To a fault, I’m sure. He goes up to dangerous dogs and tries to be their friend.” Pistachio, or Pittas as he is affectionately called, is a friend to all animals. In his home there are 5 dogs, 3 other cats, 2 foxes, and at times a whole collection of foster animals. Foxes!? He hangs out with foxes? How cool is this cat! “They’re not that nice to him, they’re brats. They’ll come up and pull his tale, but he loves the dogs.”

The eyebrows did it

Although they have baby-gated off the kitchen to give the cats some reprieve, Pistachio will always find his way out to play with the dogs. In fact it’s not just the humans that take their job of foster parents seriously. Pistachio can often be found napping with the foster kids, be it cats or dogs, and ensuring that they have been bathed. This cat has a lot of love to give. Pistachio was adopted at 4 months old after Kirrily saw a photo of him online. “The first time I met him he bit me and I was like, this is fantastic, I love you so much!” But it was the eyebrow that did it. “They made him look so cranky. They kept trying to show me other kittens but I was like, no, this is the cat for me!”

House cat to adventure cat

The biggest question I had was how he became an adventure cat. “He broke out of the house and jumped off the balcony. I woke up and he was just in the yard eating grass.” “I’m like alright, and didn’t think anything of it, brought him back inside.” “Once, he was at the window when we were taking the dogs to the beach. so we just took him with us.” And with a pack of dogs as his mentors, they soon discovered that Pistachio was in fact a lazy adventure cat, soaking up the sights of the beach and taking it all in, in his own time. Pistachio tentatively treaded over some more river stones and made his way up the bank. “That’s about his top speed right there!” Although he doesn’t walk on a leash, Pistachio never wanders far. Up the bank he places himself on a log to enjoy the view. When he’s tired he will meow out asking to be carried back to the car. Although on occasion, he will sense it’s time to leave and hide in the bushes! “He lives for pats, until about 2:30, when he lives for food.” I continued to take photos as he sat on the log, his paws still wet from walking in the stream. How fitting he looks in his handmade blue waistcoat, which I was told was found on Etsy and crafted by a lady in Poland. And although he may look like the Prince of the Forest, he does prefer the beach. He loves digging, and then he’ll roll on his back flicking sand everywhere.

Today’s the day the cats have their picnic

We returned to the picnic spot. Pistachio found that lying in the middle of the table placed him in at centre of attention. I let Willow out of the van but she wasn’t very interested in my new friend. She jumped up onto the wing mirror, gave out a hiss, then took a nap on the roof. With the two cats now contentedly asleep, the humans had time to chat. I was filled in on all the details of the latest Cat Explorer picnic where Pistachio and many other cats attended. The idea behind the picnic was to bring together aspiring adventure cats and their owners in a safe environment. And of course Pistachio won a few hearts and enjoyed all the attention. “He sat on this girl’s legs, and she had dead legs by the end of it.” “It’s nice talking to people who don’t think you’re weird for taking your cat places!” Well, Pistachio, we think your humans are pretty cool for taking you with them on their adventures! Oh how we prosper when we are around those who see our potential! And so it was time to say goodbye, but not before Pistachio received one last pat and a cuddle – this cat cannot get enough love! Today’s adventure stats: Distance covered: 89 metres Nap time: 94 minutes