Cats On Ocean City Beach? Kitty Beach Days Are Actually A Thing

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I had a bit of free time yesterday and it was such a beautiful day outside so I decided to spend my afternoon with my toes on the sand.

I drove down to Ocean City, made my way to the end of the island, parked on 59th and Central Avenues, and drove to Ocean City’s open beach, Corson’s Inlet State Park. I was expecting things like families enjoying a good day at the beach, kids digging in the sand, and maybe a boogie board or two. Never, I repeat, NEVER in a million years would I have foreseen what I would see next.

I got up from the beach to use the toilets near 59th Street. As I was walking down the street, I saw a couple walking past me with a backpack that made the young woman look almost like a spaceman. It had a large clear cutout so you could see what was in the bag, as well as a couple of smaller, clear peepholes on the outside. I’m not kidding, what I saw in it was a little cat.

I actually didn’t think anything of the cat in the backpack, because these Kitty Carrier Bookbags are now a thing. Even celebrities like Taylor Swift have backpacks for their cats. I wasn’t amazed until I got back to my place on the beach.

I lay on my towel and read my book. I had completely forgotten about the couple with the cat when I saw the same couple lead the cat ON A LINE up and down the beach. I couldn’t help but giggle. To be honest, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

Photo by Zafarullah Islam on Unsplash

The couple didn’t care about the world and continued their little afternoon adventure as if it’s something everyone is used to having a cat on the beach. There was no way they could be mad at all the looks. Not that too many people stayed on the beach at this time of day, but seriously, how often do you see a CAT on the BEACH ?? My guess is NEVER. Well, almost never.

I wish I had taken a picture but with maybe 5 families left on the whole beach I didn’t want to attract too much attention. Still, if you’ve ever taken your pup to the beach then you have a pretty good idea on your mind. Just replace the puppy with a cat and that’s it.

That leads me to my two important questions:

1.) WHY A CAT ?! Sure, you’ve seen dogs on the beach before. Why did you even think about taking your cat to the beach? Not that it’s a big deal, but most cats don’t like water, so half the fun doesn’t seem like an option anyway.

2.) Is it legal? There are a lot of rules about when you can have dogs on the beach and what permits you need to do so, etc. I can’t imagine that there are many rules for cats on the beach. If dogs are not allowed on the beach during the summer months, should cats be allowed?

I have so many questions about what I saw yesterday, but I can’t say I’m pissed off. If you start taking the cat with you when she’s still a kitten, you could probably get her used to the beach and it could be a pretty good time. Still, it’s a beautiful sight to see a cat on a leash AND on the beach.

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