A man and his cat have been causing a stir since posting their global adventures on social media.
Piling up snaps from 29 countries in total, the adorable duo hope to break the world record for the number of countries visited by a cat, which currently stands at 30.
Dean Nicholson, from Scotland, and his foster cat Nala, have been inseparable since they met on the side of a Bosnian road in 2018, when the tabby was just a kitten.
The Scot was on a solo cycling trip and credits Nala with ‘changing his life’ after feeling uncertain at the start of his journey.
One of her longtime fans is TV host Lorraine – who spoke to the cat lover today about the release of her second book, the children’s book The World of Nala, which is a abridged version of the Sunday Times bestseller The World of Nala – the story of Dean and his companion on their travels – designed for adults.
Nala and Dean in Bosnia, where they first met in 2018 on the side of the road. Dean has a drink while Nala sits next to him wearing a winter sweater
Nala loves the sights of Italy in the summer – she is certainly a well traveled cat having seen most of Europe
Back in Scotland with Dean – the couple are still traveling by bike, enjoying the vibe of Scottish towns and villages
After bringing her back to the UK, Dean decided to take his tabby cat around the world with him, got her a feline passport and started an Instagram called 1bike1world.
The page shows the man and his moggy, as they admire Greece, Albania, Italy and Slovakia – mostly traveling by bicycle and sleeping by starlight.
While staying at the hostel, Dean revealed to his followers that sometimes having Nala with him can get them a room upgrade.
Dean posted on Instagram about their first meeting four years ago, saying: ‘I swore to Nala when I found her that I wouldn’t leave her no matter what and here we are, in the middle of ‘a global pandemic, far from home and haven’t had a clue what’s going on, but as long as she’s happy and healthy, that’s all that matters.
Speaking about the couple’s first meeting, Lorraine said, “I think you two adopted each other!”
Dean explained that at first he didn’t think Nala was homeless – but very quickly she was climbing onto his shoulder and meowing for his full attention.
He said: “She loved being on her bike and being in the fresh air all the time, and now I’m just a full-time cat driver!”
Lorraine Kelly is a Nala fangirl – she gushed and laughed at the chat when she appeared on screen
Dean and Nala travel the world on bicycles, and Nala’s favorite perch is on top of her human’s shoulder.
Nala celebrates her birthday on the road – she is four years old and her birthday is October 2
It’s not that boring! Nala yawns over her book Nala’s World – which is the couple’s latest published book, written by Frann Preston-Gannon
Nala’s recent illness has been a worrying time for fans.
Lorraine said: “We were very worried when we saw she was sick, she’s a young cat in her prime.”
“She’s four,” Dean said, “We took her to the emergency vet for treatment and she had a little swollen paw – luckily she’s fine now.”
The author also found another stray, a dog he named Baloo who he rehomed and now lives in the Forest of Dean in Wales. Helping animals is a passion of the traveler and part of his literary works on Nala.
He said: “There are parts that tell you what you can do to help animals in need, and that’s something I learned a lot on this journey.
“People love Nala and they send her stuff all the time, which is great, but instead they could donate to an animal shelter.”
After traveling 29 countries in total, Dean and Nala are back in Scotland, but plan to hit the road again.
Dean said: “We’re going to start traveling again – we’ve traveled 29 countries and the world record is 30, so we have to beat that.”
