Travis And Sigrid

There are different ways people explore London – and cycling around with your cat now appears to be one of them. A year ago Travis Nelson, 45, was made redundant. Looking for a new sense of direction he started taking his cat Sigrid on his bike, the four-year-old Norwegian forest feline sitting in a basket on the front surveying the sights as the pair sauntered through the capital. Travis and Sigrid have since built a cult following on Instagram, broadcasting their daily travels through the likes of England’s Lane, Hampstead Heath and Hyde Park. Through his rides with his “best friend”, the Belsize owner has brought together two worlds not commonly associated – cycling and cats. The pair have even attended protests and parties together, including the Pride Ride. Travis, who spends up to four hours per day putting together the videos and managing social media, told the Ham & High: “Everyone is always quite surprised and happy to see Sigrid on the bike and it’s just a non-stop trail of people waving, smiling and shouting ‘hey there’s a cat’. “It sounds a little strange but it's as if you're spreading joy, like a trail of happy people everywhere we go. It’s quite fun.” Travis continued: “It’s been a stressful year, being out of work is no fun so it's nice to meet happy people every day, and Sigrid likes it a lot. “She always seems to love going outside. She'll stand at the door and whine. She sees me messing with my bike and she starts running around getting excited, it’s her favourite thing to do.” Travis, whose background is in software engineering, says his partnership with Sigrid, who is deaf, has helped build a sense of purpose and routine while out of work, much of it during lockdown. The 45-year-old has leash-trained Sigrid, and the pair often walk through England’s Lane – Barrett's butchers and Chamomile Cafe among the local fans."