Huge support after ‘world famous’ cat is injured on mysterious journey

Fans of a “world famous” cat known for his wanderings around the city and its cathedral have raised more than £5,000 to pay vet bills following his recent outing.

Gallivanting Griffin – known in Canterbury, Kent, for his excursions – recently went missing and was found injured 15 miles from his home. Concerned owner Rachel Craft, 28, believes he was hit by a car after he was found bleeding. But it’s not the first time the three-year-old Romanian rescue cat has set off on a journey alone.

A Facebook page dedicated to his wanderings records his sightings in shops, on the University of Kent campus, in random people’s homes and cars, and at his local pub. Fans of the Gallivanting Griffin page – of which there are more than 5,100 worldwide – even travel to Canterbury to try and spot the adventurous cat.

“You only have to go to the site to see what he’s up to and how many people he’s touching,” explained mother-of-one Ms Craft. “There are people from all over the world – everyone seems to be in love with him. There are people on the site from the US, Australia, Mexico…

“He’s quite famous, he’s like a local celebrity. Everyone knows him.” Ms Craft, a psychology student at the University of Christchurch, adopted Griffin when he was about five months old. He was rescued from Romania by an animal welfare group called Bid to Save a Stray.

“I think he’s probably a second or third generation street cat, so roaming is in his blood,” Ms. Craft continued. “He knows no boundaries. He goes into random houses and makes himself at home. Luckily, people love that. He loves going to college campuses because there are a lot of people there who give him a lot of attention.”

“He often goes to the library or just wanders around the dorm and offices. It’s also funny when he accompanies me on dog walks because no one realizes I’m his owner. They all stop and say, ‘That’s Griffin!'” However, after being missing for over a week recently, Griffin resurfaced injured and bleeding, and possibly in need of expensive treatment.

But Ms Craft was shocked when one of her fans set up a GoFundMe page to pay for his vet bills, which now stand at £5,215 – a testament to his popularity. “The response has been absolutely incredible and very unexpected,” Ms Craft admitted. “It’s beautiful and I’m so touched by everyone’s reaction. I haven’t really processed it yet.”

“It’s incredible how much everyone loves him. He’s very, very lucky – especially because his injuries weren’t as bad as they could have been. He’s very tired and sleepy now, but he’s fine.” Ms. Craft is still waiting for an answer from the insurance company about how much the vet bills will be.

The remainder will go to various animal welfare charities, such as the one that rescued Griffin in Romania. His latest wandering ended when he entered a pub in Ashford, Kent, about 15 miles from Canterbury, which fans of his Facebook page were notified of. “He was missing for about a week,” Ms Craft added.

“He also disappeared last year when he got into someone’s car and was driven to Herne Bay. The lady didn’t notice him until she got home. She didn’t know what to do but she ended up posting it on Facebook and one of Griffin’s fans got wind of it. He’s usually pretty clever but he obviously got lucky this time.

“I have no idea how he ended up in Ashford and I don’t think we’ll ever know, but the important thing is that he’s OK. He keeps popping up on Facebook and people post, ‘That cat is in my house’. People comment and say, ‘Oh, that’s just Griffin’. So about two years ago we started the Facebook page for all his fans who see him here.

“All the school children know him too because he goes to some schools too. He was always at my daughter’s nursery. People even travel to see him. One lady travelled from Portsmouth to see him. Lots of people are trying to find him and luckily for that lady he was at the Millers Arms where he spends a lot of time.

“I won’t complain if he slows down because his antics cause a lot of anxiety… But I love him – everyone does. He does worry me but I’m used to it now. He won’t be going out anytime soon but I can’t keep him inside forever.”

Fans have even created Gallivanting Griffin calendars, and hundreds have posted photos of their own pets, wishing him a speedy recovery since his last adventure.