STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
We also have news of a trend in pets. Just as people walk their dogs, some people have been walking their cats. NPR's Chloe Veltman sinks her claws into this story.
CHLOE VELTMAN, BYLINE: On a sunny afternoon in San Francisco, Jennifer Privett is out for a stroll with her very large, very fluffy, blue-eyed Himalayan Jean Claude.
JENNIFER PRIVETT: Oftentimes people say Jean Claude, like C-L-A-W-E-D. (Laughter) No, no, no, Jean Claude.
VELTMAN: With his luxurious cream-colored coat and chocolate face, tail and paws, Jean Claude would turn heads even if he weren't sauntering along the streets of San Francisco on a leash.
PRIVETT: People all the time are stopping to talk to us.
VELTMAN: Many passersby smile when they see the cat, but some are confused.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: This kitty looks lost.
PRIVETT: Oh, he's not lost.
VELTMAN: Privett says she and Jean Claude have been hitting the streets together for around 10 years, since he was 3.
PRIVETT: I think it kind of just happened naturally because I mostly have lived in apartments, and he wants to go outside. But I didn't feel comfortable just, like, letting him, you know, out any time.
VELTMAN: Cats can get hurt outside, but it's also estimated that cats kill over 1 billion birds each year in the U.S. So Privett keeps Jean Claude on a leash, though they don't usually roam far.
PRIVETT: Because of the hills, he gets tired, you know? It's so steep.
VELTMAN: But they do get around. The cat accompanies his mistress to the dry cleaner on the corner, a nearby pizzeria and several coffee shops.
PRIVETT: If I ever go there without him on the weekends, they ask, like, where's Jean Claude today?
GRACE CARTER: The indoor lifestyle is safer, but it's pretty monotonous.
VELTMAN: Grace Carter is a cat veterinarian. She says a walk on a leash can alleviate the tedium while also providing a measure of security.
CARTER: I think for the right cat, it can certainly create environmental enrichment, get them some more exercise and things like that.
VELTMAN: But Carter says it's not for everyone.
CARTER: Some cats are just too stressed for it. Some never adapt to the harness and leash.
VELTMAN: On their afternoon stroll, Privett and Jean Claude head for a quiet alley, away from noisy traffic and potentially unfriendly dogs. Eventually, though, a breeze picks up.
PRIVETT: And he's a long-haired cat and it's just like, oh, no, the wind is messing up my hair.
VELTMAN: It's time to head home...
(SOUNDBITE OF DOOR CLOSING)
VELTMAN: For treats.
PRIVETT: Yeah, you want some snackies?
(SOUNDBITE OF CAT MEOWING)
PRIVETT: Oh, yummy, yummy, yummy.
VELTMAN: And a well-deserved nap.
PRIVETT: You're such a good boy, Jean Claude.
(SOUNDBITE OF CAT MEOWING)
VELTMAN: Chloe Veltman, NPR News.
(SOUNDBITE OF THE LIVING TOMBSTONE'S "CATS (SPED UP)")
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