Navigating Social Events with Maple: A Meet and Greet Adventure

I am very active in my Meetup group, Young and Active Millennials in Denver, but sometimes I struggle to get to know new people despite organizing my own events. My friend Nate, the owner of the group, decided to host a Meet and Greet at one of the local Bier gardens in town. Normally, I pass on these events, but I've been absent lately, focusing on building stronger one-on-one relationships with my friends. Feeling a bit guilty, I decided to attend. The weather was perfect, and wanting to add a personal touch, I brought Maple along for the ride. Good choice! She was the perfect icebreaker, making it easier to talk to people as they had so many questions about her.

So, how did it go? Maple was a trooper and handled riding on the backpack for the first hour or so. Then, I let her down with her leash because there were only a few dogs around, and we had a private space. I was able to introduce her to one dog, who was very sweet, shaking his butt with excitement, but Maple would have none of that. This was her first time around so many people and so much noise, but she seemed unfazed and more interested in exploring. She's not the most affectionate cat when it comes to strangers (anyone but me, really), but she wasn't bothered or flustered by the noise and the crowd. Instead, she was keen on exploring the space within the reach of her leash.

I am relieved that she does so well with people. She is very tolerant of people wanting to pet her, and I intentionally have people pet her so she gets positive attention. Dogs are still a work in progress, but we'll get there! There is one dog in particular I want her to bond with, but he's out of town, and I don't know how he'll act because he hasn't been exposed to cats before. Regardless, the more dogs, the better! And always with permission.

Have you ever brought a pet to a social event? How did it go? What is your stance on socializing cats with dogs? Leave a comment below!