DEAF CAT EXPLORES LONDON BY BICYCLE
Source: BBC News (Extract)
Posted: April 7, 2022
Many different types of Londoner can be spotted on bikes in the capital – but few of them as furry as Sigrid.
The long-haired Norwegian Forest cat is white with blue eyes, a combination that usually results in deafness.
Since she was small, a leashed Sigrid has been exploring the sights, if not the sounds, of London with her owner Travis Nelson.
He said it felt like a “natural next step” to put her in the basket of his bike to see if she enjoyed the ride.
“She does really seem to like it,” said Travis, of Belsize Park in north London. “If I mess around with my bike she will get excited.
“She’s always very attentive and very curious and she’ll meow at the door wanting to go out sometimes.”
Sigrid has travelled far and wide over London over the last 18 months and has also made a trip to see the spires of Cambridge.
Sigrid, also known as Siggy, has been trained to walk using a harness since she was kitten so that she can go outside safely.
Travis uses the same harness to strap her into the front basket of his fixed-gear bike, which he controls using pedals to avoid harsh braking.
He makes sure to put sunscreen on her ears and use special goggles to protect her eyes when it’s windy.
However, Travis does admit Siggy is not the fastest cat around and needs frequent pitstops to greet her adoring fans.
“She’s not aerodynamic, no,” he said. “It makes other cyclists laugh that I have an extremely aerodynamic bike but then it has a cat basket on the front.
“But I want her to have fun and meet people, so I always stop and every now and then she’ll walk up to someone for some chin strokes.
“Her favourite thing is looking for birds and squirrels – sometimes she’ll creep down in the basket and get her ears flat, which is very silly.”
She has nearly 200,000 followers on her social media platforms, and some of her videos have more than five million views.
Siggy’s latest trip was around Regent’s Park for a few laps with Ukrainian-born cyclist Khromazone, helping to raise money for refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine.
