Huge Norwegian Forest Cat the size of a large Maine Coon

NEWS AND COMMENT: Sigrid is a beautiful white, deaf Norwegian Forest cat who discovered that she likes to ride with her owner, Travis Nelson, when cycling around that great metropolis called London, UK. It started as an experiment he said. He was made redundant during the first Covid lockdown so he started to ride his bike around the city.
He thought that it might be a good idea to take Sigrid with him so he put her in his bike basket and she loved it from day one. And the video on this page clearly indicates that she is very calm and loves the view from the bike. I wonder whether her deafness helps? It cuts out all the difficult noises. She looks very calm, enjoying the activities of a large number of Londoners.
Sigrid wears a leash during her rides and Nelson videos her using a GoPro video camera which is attached is head or chest. Sigrid particularly likes the shops in Covent Garden he said. They visit shops and whenever she sees an open door, she wants to go through it because she's nosy like all domestic cats.
At one café, Chamomile's Café on England's Lane, they keep a treat behind the counter for her when they visit. When they ride through Regent's Park she likes to watch out for the squirrels and is ready to chase them.
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Nelson says that she is completely fearless, "She's just completely fearless. She's not afraid of anything. She'll meet a giant dog when we're walking down the pavement and she won't even change her pace: she'll just hiss but she'll stay calm."
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Nelson and Sigrid. Photo: Jess Hand. |
She obviously has one of those characters which is a godsend to a cat owner; completely calm and I think this has a lot to do with her deafness. Plus, she was trained to accept the busy, noisy human outdoor activities (see below). It's a nice characteristic but it also might be a slightly dangerous one for her. But she is well cared for and supervised.
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Nelson explained that the secret to leash training is to start them young. He leash-trained Sigrid when she was a kitten. When he first got her he took her down to the corner shop on a leash. This then explains how she accepts these outdoor trips on a bike and takes it all in her stride.
It isn't just Sigrid who likes these bike rides, Nelson said "Almost everyone's happy to see us. We get lots of smiles and laughter and openmouthed expressions when we ride by". I bet they do.
Another positive is that Nelson and Sigrid are together so much which is great for their relationship. A great one. For me this is top quality car caretaking.
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