Rescue cat becomes online hit after turning to life of adventure by skiiing and paddle boarding with its active owners

A rescue cat has become a social media star after turning to a life of adventure – going skiing, hiking and paddle boarding while wearing mini goggles and jackets with his active owners.

Erin Geldermans, 32, and Daniel “Dan” Schreck, 37, adopted their cat Liebchen in September 2020 and immediately started taking their kitten everywhere on a leash and in their backpacks.

After going on hikes, boating and paddle boarding trips as well as to bars and restaurants in their hometown of Aspen in Colorado, Liebchen has become a social media sensation with nearly 180,000 followers on Instagram.

Erin, who is finishing grad school to work in trauma and addiction recovery therapy, even put protective clothing on Liebchen for their shared adventures, like pet skiing goggles to protect the cat’s eyes on snowy trips with partner Dan, who works in the outdoor industry.

In the future, the couple hopes to take their beloved pet on trips abroad and possibly even on helicopter rides.

Their adventurous lives together started when the couple adopted Liebchen at nine weeks of age in September 2020.

Erin and Dan started leash training their kitten immediately.

“I saw a lot of cool adventure cats on the internet, so I wanted to try it with Liebchen too”, Erin remembered.

“He always wanted to go outside but where we live in the mountains in Colorado, there are many predators like mountain lions, bobcats, bears and coyotes, so he can’t go out on his own.”

She added: “He only weighed two pounds when we got him, so the harness barely fit him, but we just took him everywhere.

“We would take him on hikes and road trips, to bars and restaurants. Aspen’s very pet friendly so they were like ‘oh my gosh, bring him in.’

“We just started socialising him, walking with him and taking him literally everywhere right away at 10 weeks old.”

Living in the perfect place to go on adventures in nature, Erin and Dan, who have been together for more than three years, have taken Liebchen on hikes, skiing, riding on a snowmobile, camping, biking and paddle boarding.

Liebchen has even accompanied the couple when visiting their families via airplane in Michigan as well as on road trips to some of the many national parks in the US.

Erin said: “Liebchen’s favourite thing is just exploring our neighbourhood. He loves smelling things, meeting dogs and exploring the woods on hikes.”

The couple’s four-legged friend is equipped with plenty of gear for their various adventures to enjoy everything safely.

She said: “We always have a harness and leash on him to be safe, but we also got goggles to protect his eyes from snow blindness.

“You sunburn very easily where we live and even burn your eyes. We knew we needed some kind of protection for him and our friends had these dog goggles, so we got some for Liebchen.”

She added: “He didn’t mind them from the beginning and while we truly got them for his protection, they also look really cute.”

Their “super chill” cat, who also owns cute jackets and blankets to keep him warm in the cold Colorado winters, also loves anything to do with water and frequently joins the couple in the shower, bath or during paddle boarding and boating trips.

“We don’t have an explanation for why he likes water. He’s very clingy, but when he first came into the shower with us, we were really surprised. He even swims around us when we’re swimming in a lake”, she said.

For their skiing trips, either Dan or Erin have Liebchen under their coats or in Liebchen’s designated backpack.

They are very cautious, making sure that their fluffy companion is safe.

Erin said: “He likes to climb up our shoulder, but it can get a little unsafe. I mean it’s not entirely safe to ski with a cat anyway, but we’ve both skied forever and we don’t clip him in or anything, so if something were to happen, he can get away.”

Erin, Dan and Liebchen are not just inseparable on their adventures together, but also in their Aspen home.

“He always wants to know what we’re doing. He’s very vocal and is always talking to us and when people come by, he greets everyone at the door,” said Erin.

For their future adventures, the couple plan on taking their furry friend scuba diving, or at least to the beach.

Erin said: “We would love to take him to the beach and try surfing with him. We think it would be so fun.

“He’s never actually seen the ocean, so that’s on our bucket list. We can finally travel with him internationally soon, now that things are opening up with Covid more and more.

“We really want to take him to the Dutch Antilles as they have really loose rules on bringing cats. We both scuba dive and maybe he can come. Scuba diving itself is something he cannot do ever – he’d hate it – but it’d be fun to take him on the boat with us.”

She added: “We’d also love to take him on a helicopter, for example to go heli skiing where they take you in a helicopter to the mountain top and you ski down.

“We’re just really excited to go on many more adventures with him.”

Since Liebchen joined Erin and Dan’s two-bedroom home in Aspen just over two years ago he has become an important part of their lives.

Erin said: “Dan and I were really interested in getting a cat and we knew we wanted to rescue one.

“One day, my friend sent me a Facebook post from a local animal shelter and she was like, look at this little orange fluffy baby.

“I knew that I need this cat. Something just felt so right about his picture.”

She added: “He was so cute and so fluffy. I actually didn’t tell Dan that we were going to meet him and it was kind of a surprise.

“Liebchen was in the corner of the create, hissing at the other kittens, having an attitude, but he came right up to Dan.

“So Dan held him first and we fell in love instantly. We took him home and it was amazing right away – he slept with us on the first night, cuddled in right between us. It was so sweet, he’s just our little best friend and we’re inseparable.”

Liebchen’s name is in honour of Erin’s mum’s cat she used to have when she was the same age as Erin.

Erin said: “Liebchen means Sweetheart in German and while it’s more of a feminine name, it suits him really well.

“He’s so sweet and cuddly. He’s definitely the most chill cat. He’s really outgoing and likes to meet people, he loves dogs and kids.”

She added: “He’s such a little sweetheart and I feel like naming him that kind of manifested it.”

To follow Liebchen’s adventures, visit his Instagram