They say that everything happens for a reason. Well, if Dean Nicholson hadn’t left his job as a welder to go globe-trotting on his bike, he might have never met his adorable little sidekick. It all happened quite unexpectedly, too. He embarked on a bold bike-riding journey from Dunbar, Scotland, where he lives. His destination was Newcastle. From there, he intended to take a ferry and head towards a bunch of exotic locations. But along the way, he came across a furry kitten, who was all alone and in distress. He refused to leave her behind and that’s where their adventure together began.He has his trusty little sidekick with him at all times, and he probably wondered how he managed to get along without her. But it wasn’t that long ago that he traveled without someone looking over his shoulder.
There was that time when Nicholson had to take a ferry to Croatia before continuing to ride to Bosnia. That’s when he came across something unexpected. It was a precious little kitten and she was hungry and alone.
After giving her something to eat, he took her to a vet and made sure she received a rabies vaccine as well as all the other typical shots. But aside from being malnourished, she was in very good health.
In September 2018, Nicholson left his hometown in Dunbar, Scotland, on a bike. He rode to Newcastle and then took a ferry to Amsterdam. He rode through Belgium, Greece, Switzerland, and Italy, but he wasn’t done.
The desperate plea was coming from behind him so he stopped, got off his bike and stroked the kitten with his hand. From that moment on, she refused to leave his side. But he wasn’t sure what to do about her at first.
It didn’t take long for Nicholson to realize that the two of them were like two peas in a pod. From the very first day, Nala enjoyed sitting in the carrier on his bike, which is pretty surprising for a feline.
But who could resist an adorable rascal like this one? Nicholson certainly couldn’t. She had stolen his heart, and he couldn’t fathom the idea of simply leaving her on the side of the road all alone again.
He doesn’t have to worry about sleeping in a tent in an abandoned villa at night because he has Nala. She’s there to listen to him talk about their day and she probably purrs him to sleep. We should all be so lucky!
In a lot of cases, travelers have to leave their pets behind with friends or at a shelter while they travel. But Nicholson decided to get Nala a pet passport so she would always be his traveling buddy no matter where he went.
Nala is the ideal travel partner. She’s not picky about what she eats. But Nicholson has to keep an eye on his food. If he turns his back on Nala, she’ll eat it all, not that he’d mind, unless he’s really hungry.
He has taken a ton of photos and shot a lot of videos of his traveling experience with his cat. He’s even shared them on Instagram and brought joy to the hearts of all of his followers from around the world.
They don’t spend the entire day riding. Sometimes, they’ll take a breather and enjoy the beautiful scenery. This also gives them time to continue to get to know each other and form a stronger bond.
So far, Nicholson and Nala have managed to travel to Albania, Greece, and Montenegro, but their journey is far from over. There are tons of things to see and do, and they intend to do it together.
However, on occasion, they’ll find a decent hostel to crash in. But they wouldn’t mind a little help, which is why Nicholson has set up a GoFundMe page where people can donate to help them on their journey.
Now anyone who has ever given a cat a bath knows that felines are absolutely terrified of the water. But Nala doesn’t mind kayaking with Nicholson and she feels perfectly safe tucked between his legs.
But Nala prefers a cozy fireplace, especially when she developed a chest infection after they were traveling through the rain and cold. Fortunately, he managed to care for her while staying at a hostel.
She loves the camera and Nicholson too, of course. But everyone loves watching how she pops out anytime that he takes out his camera. It’s like she’s asking to be the center of attention, and she is!
Nala has every intention of sticking to her human and crossing border after border. How many kitties can say they lead such a fantastic life? It’s as if the adventure never ends now that she has Nicholson.
Nala doesn’t like it when Nicholson is biking over bumpy roads or cobblestones. So, that’s when she decides to sit on top of his shoulders. Have you ever seen a more adorable human/owner relationship?
We love how Nala takes a cat nap on the hammock with her human friend. It’s so darn cute! But these two better rest up because Nicholson has his sight set on Australia, Argentina, and then Canada before heading home.
