Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Flora the Explorer – cat roams to the Cotswolds
CATS are renowned for not being the most social of animals – but not Flora. Not only does the four-year-old cat have a habit of visiting more homes than the average postman, she also spends her days nipping into the gym, various shops and the pub.
She even – occasionally – tries to get into other workplaces such as parcel delivery warehouses and a science park.
Flora has become a bit of a local celebrity in Lyde Green, near Emersons Green on the edge of Bristol.
Named after children’s cartoon character Dora the Explorer, Flora loves to explore.
The furthest the four-year-old cat has ended up is Dursley in Gloucestershire, some 24 miles from home on the outskirts of Bristol.
Her owner Ella Thatcher said: “I’ve had to collect her from Bradley Stoke, Whitchurch, Patchway, Brislington and Hengrove on different occasions.
“I am very unsure how she ended up there.
“The furthest she managed was Dursley – and I can only assume she took a ride in a lorry!”
The cat is known for jumping into lorries and travelling halfway across Bristol but also for being a helpful hand – or paw – at the self-service check-outs of the local Sainsbury’s. She’s even been spotted trying to scratch her way into big bags of cat food in the store.
Most recently she’s been greeting health club users at David Lloyd’s reception in Emersons Green.
Yoga and pilates instructor Pru Comben said: “I asked Flora if she’d demonstrate a cat stretch in my yoga /pilates fusion class, but she preferred to greet David Lloyd members and get head pats in reception.”
Flora doesn’t go back to “home” very often. Instead she likes to jump through the windows of people’s houses in the local area, take a nap and then pop off to the next friendly host – or victim.
She even has her very own Facebook group – “Flora the Explorer of Lyde Green”.
Houses aren’t always the sole destination for Flora, though; it turns out she has spent a couple of nights asleep in the Premier Inn lobby that’s attached to the Beefeater pub near the A4174 ring road.
And the list of eventful visits doesn’t end there – she has spent days in the DPD parcel centre and at the nearby Bristol and Bath Science Park. This has now led to bosses there sticking up a sign which says: “Do not let the cat in please.”
Ella said: “She’s been seen wandering around the clothes section in the big Sainsbury’s in Emersons Green. She’s been found in Boots, Argos and also the Pets at Home and Persimmon Homes offices! She absolutely adores napping in the trolleys at Sainsbury’s and she also likes to nap in the delivery lorries. Sometimes people do get frustrated as she is very stubborn and will continue to jump through windows or run in through open doors, even after being chucked out. Eventually she will give up and move on to her next victim.”
At the moment Flora is hardly ever at home. Ella will collect her if she is being a nuisance and she might stay home for a day or so, before venturing out again.
Ella explained: “She isn’t lost. Lately she has actually stayed reasonably close to home (without coming home) – so she is very aware that she has a loving home that will feed her and look after her. But she doesn’t want an owner.
“The people of Lyde Green are very, very good to Flora and we do really appreciate all that they do for us. If we had to keep her in or collect her every time she was adventuring our lives would be completely different.”
The vets have agreed that the best thing to do with Flora is to let her roam. Flora had her latest check a few weeks ago and she is very healthy and very happy.
Ella said: “Her mum is a Bengal and her dad is a ragdoll. She’s always been really, really friendly, cuddly, interested, great with my little boys who are now almost three and almost six.
“We got her in October almost four years ago and first let her out the following summer. She was off on her adventures straight away.
“I was pregnant with my second little boy at the time and I spent almost every evening that summer – not knowing that this was just her personality – looking for her, collecting her, responding to calls and messages about the places she would end up.
“We have lots of calls that she wouldn’t leave other people’s houses, climbed in through windows, stole their roast dinners, slept on their beds... We even had a few, ‘She’s stuck up a tree’ calls – little did they know, she was just choosing to be up there.”