Mother takes the family kitten to his first beach day, documenting the precious expurrience to a resounding "aww" from every cat person watching

Ayala Sorotsky • Writer and Editor

Jun 22, 2026 3:00 PM EDT

Summer is here, and it's all about cat time!

When summer comes, we're thinking about cats, and only cats. Not that it's different from any other season of the year, because all cat people think about their cats constantly, and cats are great all year round. But when summer comes, and cats catch all the sunbeams, we're reminded that even the heat and the sweat can't bring a cat's spirit down. Cats enjoy summer just like they do every other season, which helps us contain this scorching heat even better.

This cat's summer affinity is evident in many examples, but a recent one truly caught our eyes, in the most wholesome way possible. @wildetide.co uploaded to Instagram the most adorable first-time visit of her family's kitten to the beach - and what started as a scardy cat experience turned into a fully-fledged family fun time that includes paws, purrs, and kitten joy. These instances fill our feline-loving hearts with happiness.

We can't say we could ever bring our own cat to the beach like that. She's curious alright, asking to go on a walk with the cat leash - though she's never walking far away from the building where we live. And generally, every sighting of a human that gets too close, or a dog across the street, sends her running back home. Her curiosity is not greater than her fear of the great outdoors, unfortunately. She'll have to make do with the street surrounding our building.

But some cats enjoy the outside like it's their second nature. Sure, cats started as apex predators of the great outdoors, but now they're mostly domesticated babies (no complaint here). But if you're lucky enough to have a cat with the instincts of a jaguar and can take your cat hiking, you're one of the lucky ones. For you, bringing your cat to the beach this summer should be a regular activity - and to be honest, we're low-key jealous. But with the same breath, we wish you and your cat a great summer!

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via @wildetide.co
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via @wildetide.co
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via @wildetide.co
The first reaction of cats not understanding something is airplane ears. Sure, sometimes it's followed by a random smack of the paw - but when the thing you don't understand is a literal whole beach right next to the vast ocean, you don't really smack. So this kitten stayed in airplane ears mode for a moment there, but he got over it relatively fast.
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via @wildetide.co
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via @wildetide.co
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via @wildetide.co
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via @wildetide.co
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via @wildetide.co
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via @wildetide.co
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via @wildetide.co
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via @unique_lady26
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via @herman_lim66
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via @_justm.j_
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via @missjdm_sweetheart
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via @spellbound_oracle
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via @the_foodies_whippets
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via @undiosceloso
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via @Icuyle
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via @photos.vmg
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via @kabashaki
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via @simplynessa15
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via @baileywithab