bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

The Washington Post

Dean Nicholson was pedalling up a hill in Bosnia, near the border of Montenegro, when he heard a plaintive meow.
He looked over his shoulder. In the lambent December light, he saw a grey-and-white kitten chasing him up the incline.
The burly and bearded 31-year-old itinerant, with a thick Scottish brogue and a Maori design inked on his left upper arm, pressed on his brakes and dismounted.
Nicholson had set out three months earlier from his home in Dunbar, a town on the eastern coast of Scotland, to traverse the world on his green Trek 920 bike.

Guy biking across the world finds a kitten he can't leave behind pic.twitter.com/6NASfQxqHy
— The Dodo (@dodo) April 1, 2019

He cycled from Scotland to England, hopped on a ferry to the Netherlands, and then travelled through Belgium, France, Switzerland and down to Italy. From the coast of the Adriatic, he caught a ferry to Croatia and then made his way into Bosnia.
He was seeking distance from his job as a welder, which had left him listless and depleted.
“I couldn’t do the 9-to-5 thing,” he said in an interview with The Washington Post. “I wanted to see the world and see what state it’s in.”
How Belmond’s luxury ‘Tiger Express’ train journey could save big cats
That meant choosing a bike and the open air over a bus or train compartment. “Otherwise you miss out on the smaller towns,” he explained.
And it meant going alone.
Or so he thought. The Balkans had a surprise in store for him, in the form of a feline and fellow traveller. He called her Nala, after the lioness friend in his favourite film, The Lion King. The tiny animal, with eyes like jewels, would not leave his side.
So began a second, not-so-solo leg of his round-the-world ride, as Nicholson and Nala took their place in the pantheon of epic duos melding man and beast, from Snowy and Tintin to Snoopy and Charlie Brown.
Their journey became a sensation on social media this week. A video posted by the Dodo, an animal-centric website, had been viewed nearly 8 million times on Twitter by Thursday morning.
“If you’ve got a pet, you know what it’s like,” Nicholson said. “You’re never alone. It’s true companionship.”












View this post on Instagram



















So just as i was coming up to the Montenegro border i heard this little gem meowing her heart out chasing me trying to get my attention. We were about 12 miles from the nearest town so it was obvious someone had dumped her. A quick re-shuffle of my bike equipment she is now sitting happy up front leading the journey! She needs a name so Feel free to fire suggestions guys
A post shared by 1bike1world (@1bike1world) on Dec 10, 2018 at 11:12am PST



At first, Nicholson did not know what to do with the desperate kitten on the side of the road. He was already carrying too much cargo. Besides, he had grown up with dogs and considered himself loyal to man’s best friend. But the animal seemed intent on joining him.
“As soon as I got her to relax, that’s when I decided to bring her with me,” Nicholson said.
He plopped her in his front basket, clearing out some digital equipment to make room for his companion.
She wasn’t satisfied with that perch, however, and instead climbed up onto Nicholson’s shoulder. From there, she kept watch and nuzzled him. Quickly becoming accustomed to the bumps and swerves of the road, she dozed off.
Smartphone apps to keep tabs on your pets are going to be big
Nicholson found a vet in Montenegro, where he learned that she was about 7 weeks old and had no microchip.
“So I was like, ‘I’ll just keep her,’” he recalled thinking. He had a chip installed, and made sure Nala got the vaccinations that would allow her to accompany him across borders.
He found a proper cat compartment – which even boasted a small window allowing Nala to peer outside – and bought a harness to make sure she stayed by his side.
With that, the pair returned to the open road, making their way to the ancient Montenegrin city of Budva, with winding stone streets and sweeping views of the Adriatic.












View this post on Instagram



















Today we ventured down into old town, with a history of almost 2500 years, Budva is one of the oldest cities on the Adriatic coast. The beautiful narrow streets lead to quirky wee shops and cafes where Nala stole the attention of every passing tourist and even managed to get me a free pint
A post shared by 1bike1world (@1bike1world) on Dec 13, 2018 at 10:10am PST



“Nala stole the attention of every passing tourist and even managed to get me a free pint,” Nicholson wrote of the visit in December on his Instagram page, which quickly drew loyal followers.
The two were inseparable, as Nala clung to Nicholson’s back when he was cycling or burrowed in his armpit when he stopped to pitch his tent at night. They shared meals at their deserted campsites, as he devoured pasta and fries and she ate cat food. He sipped coffee. She lapped water.
Bouts of bad weather slowed the journey to Tirana, the Albanian capital, but the time passed quickly for Nicholson, who was distracted by his furry friend.
Passers-by were distracted, too. Nicholson wasn’t used to getting so much attention. But he understood why heads turned to follow the cyclist with a cat strapped to his handlebars or hanging from his neck. “It’s an unusual sight,” he allowed.
They spent Christmas in Himara, in southern Albania, where holiday treats left Nala tuckered out.
On the beach, he taught her how to hunt, filming her pursuits with his GoPro. He even took her out on the high seas, plopping her between his legs on a kayak.
Nala stole the attention of every passing tourist and even managed to get me a free pint
Dean Nicholson
At the end of the year, Nicholson briefly put their journey on hold. The rain and cold that had trailed them down the Albanian coast had left Nala with a chest infection. She was given antibiotics, and he posted up with her in a hostel for several weeks of recovery.
By early January, things were looking up, as Nicholson documented his companion’s second cough-free day.
“She’s fearless,” he said of the feline.
The world’s 5 most outrageous pet pampering destinations
Meanwhile, he pitched in at the hostel, chopping logs for fire wood and collecting oranges for juice. He also passed the time by clearing nearby beaches of plastic and other waste.
Nala, ever observant, watched from his shoulders.
On January 17, they were ready to set off once again, with a more secure – and waterproof – set-up for Nala. Greece beckoned.












View this post on Instagram























A post shared by 1bike1world (@1bike1world) on Feb 19, 2019 at 10:30am PST



They tootled through the birthplace of democracy, sunned themselves on beaches and hiked through forests. Nicholson scored his first shower in a month when a random family in Athens agreed to take them in for a week.
As spring came, Nicholson was moved to make explicit Nala’s imprint on him. He stopped in Thessaloniki, in northern Greece, to tattoo her paw print on his right forearm.
Their relationship has not been without hiccups. At the end of March, Nicholson knocked her cat food from the treehouse where they were sleeping. Dogs got to it, leaving Nala with only plain spaghetti for a stretch.












View this post on Instagram























A post shared by 1bike1world (@1bike1world) on Feb 1, 2019 at 9:25am PST



Now, Nicholson and Nala are in Santorini, the crescent-shaped island in the Aegean Sea where they plan to pass the summer months. He landed a job as a sea kayak tour guide.
When autumn rolls around, Nicholson will pack his bags and head for Australia, passing through Turkey and Georgia and then making up his route as he goes.
From Australia, he plans to fly to Argentina, and then to cycle all the way up to Canada.
By the time he is finished, Nicholson will have seen remote corners of the world.
“I’ll also have seen this cat grow up, which is maybe even more incredible,” he said.


US woman gives birth in Waymo self-driving taxi

4 arrested after protesters throw dessert at Britain’s Crown Jewels

Daughter of Chinese parents born with blonde hair, blue eyes due to Russian great-grandfather

US actress Tara Reid says she was drugged. Surveillance footage shows her downing wine

Offbeat

‘She’s fearless’: Man bikes around the world with stray cat named Nala

Dean Nicholson and Nala, as they traverse the world. Photo: Dean Nicholson/Instagram

Where in the world are the 5 most outrageous pet pampering destinations?

Our favourite four-legged friends are just like family, so if you want to give them the best of everything – including their own luxury hotels and pampering treatments – now you can. Photo: iStock

Smart technology for pets: activity trackers, dog walker monitors, a self-cleaning cat litter tray and more

Pets are set to get even more pampering thanks to the latest advances in the mobile tech industry. Photo: The Washington Post

Attendees walk along the Mobile World Congress wireless show, in Barcelona, Spain, Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2019. The annual Mobile World Congress (MWC) runs from 25-28 February in Barcelona, where companies from all over the world gather to share new products. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

A man checks his phone outside the Samsung booth at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, February 26, 2019. REUTERS/Sergio Perez

Visitors attend the second day of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona on February 26, 2019. - Phone makers will focus on foldable screens and the introduction of blazing fast 5G wireless networks at the world's biggest mobile fair as they try to reverse a decline in sales of smartphones. (Photo by Josep LAGO / AFP)

News

World

Europe

Dean Nicholson, 31, was pedalling up a hill in Bosnia when he heard a plaintive meow
He called the cat Nala, after the lioness in his favourite film, The Lion King


Dean Nicholson, 31, was pedalling up a hill in Bosnia when he heard a plaintive meow; he called the cat Nala after the lioness in his favourite film, The Lion King.


Travel news and advice

Pets

Tourism

‘She’s fearless’: Man bikes around the world with stray cat named Nala

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}Dean Nicholson, 31, was pedalling up a hill in Bosnia when he heard a plaintive meow He called the cat Nala, after the lioness in his favourite film, The Lion King

Dean Nicholson, 31, was pedalling up a hill in Bosnia when he heard a plaintive meow

He called the cat Nala, after the lioness in his favourite film, The Lion King