Alessia and Pat lived in Honolulu, Hawaii, and owned many cats. They had decided to adopt an 8-month-old kitten, Hokule'a, from the Hawaiian Humane Society. When Alessia first saw him, she found the kitten was adorable and shy. He hid under the bedsheet. However, he slowly warmed up to them after they brought him home.
The parents noticed that he was unlike other cats. Hokule'a would follow his parents everywhere. Even in the shower, he would get curious and want to jump in the shower with them. Hokule'a did not seem to mind water at all.
The parents noticed that he would go outside even if it was pouring and would come in soaking wet. The couple was amazed to find such behavior from a cat. They decided that they had a lot in common, and maybe Hokule'a would like the beach too.
They found a virtually empty beach with nice calm water and was not too windy. They wanted Hokule'a to be comfortable. So Alessia and Pat let him play on the sand. For the cat, the beach was probably like a vast cat box. He got up to the water's edge and straight away warmed up to it. The cat could naturally swim well.
So, Pat placed him on the board and paddled out of the small waves. Hokule'a seemed to enjoy the ride a lot. The couple got him slowly comfortable riding the surfboard. Then, the caring dad built the cat a tiny home where he could feel safe. He found a boogie board and cut it into a diamond shape.
It was just the perfect size, where Hokule'a could sit, feel safe, and even hide from the wind and feel that he had a home base. After he graduated from the "boogie bed," he got more comfortable on the board. Hokule'a would go up and down on the board and jump in the water independently.
Pat knew his pet's limit when surfing. He could surf for an hour, but then he could tell that he was getting tired. That is when they see that they have to go in. So the caring parents give their pet a freshwater shower and rinse him off right away so that he does not groom himself with the saltwater. They like the fact that their cat has the same interest as them.
