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Feline fans on the prowl in Brighton cat tour

Josh McLaughlin,Brightonand
Danielle Malgwi,Brighton
News imageDanielle Malgwi / BBC Two cat owners and volunteers for Brighton Cat Tour sit on concrete steps outside their flat. On the red brick column in front of the steps and doorway sits a punk-themed poster reading "Cat Tour Brighton", depicting a cat with a mohawk, sunglasses and chains sticking its tongue out. The owners sit and pet two black cats, with black cat-themed decorations adorning the front entryway to their home for passing visitors.Danielle Malgwi / BBC
Organisers told the BBC that 164 tickets were sold in the first 24 hours

Two hundred cat enthusiasts took to the streets of Brighton on Sunday for what the organiser believed was the "UK's first cat tour".

Brighton Cat Tour followed a planned 4.8km (2.98 mile) route stretching from Seven Dials to Hanover, with 25 cat owners volunteering their homes as pitstops to show off their pets.

Stefan Gutierrez, the charity event's organiser, said 105 homes registered interest after a TikTok video promoting the event in August reached almost 100,000 views.

"It's a very wholesome event which brings the local community and elsewhere to Brighton," he told the BBC.

News imageDanielle Malgwi / BBC A woman behind an open window holds her ginger cat, Molly, while a passing visitor takes a close-up photo using her iPhone. The cat appears to be looking directly into the lens of the phone camera, with the owner smiling while looking down at her.Danielle Malgwi / BBC
News imageJosh McLaughlin / BBC Elodie Grenville holds up her cat, Pixie, in a transparent box raised high for passers-by on the tour. The crowd reads the posters stuck to the outside of her Brighton house, one of which reads "50% tabby, 50% Bengal". Some take photos. Others look at the various pictures of Pixie on the wall, including a "selfie" with the cat wearing shades and a tie.Josh McLaughlin / BBC
One of the first stops on the tour brought visitors to ginger tabby Molly
Elodie Grenville had a shrine and played "two truths, one lie" for her cat Pixie

Mr Gutierrez said a viral cat tour in Toronto, Canada, in 2024 inspired the Brighton version.

He said people from as far afield as France, America, Ireland and Wales bought tickets for the occasion.

"It's an event where I hope people can make friends," he said.

Prior to the walk, the event raised over £1,750 for City Cat Shelter in Coldean.

'We're all cat obsessed'

Liz Scofield said that as soon as the tour popped up on her Facebook feed, she booked it for her family.

"We're all cat obsessed," she said.

Twelve volunteers helped organise the route and kept five waves of 40 participants safe, according to Mr Gutierrez.

He said getting full permission from the council, completing risk assessments and getting insurance was "quite stressful" as a solo organiser.

News imageJosh McLaughlin / BBC A crowd of over 20 people pose for a photo alongside volunteer marshal Nia Wildblood in an open green space next to a tree. One woman (centred) holds a flagpole with a small, square flag on top showing the Brighton Cat Tour logo. People smile for the photo while looking directly at the lens.Josh McLaughlin / BBC
Volunteer marshal Nia Wildblood hoped people who bought solo tickets could make friends

Nia Wildblood also spotted the event on social media and thought it was a "fantastic thing" to volunteer for with her husband.

"It was a great way for folks to come together to see this amazing city," she said.

"I understand a lot of people bought solo tickets – it's a brilliant opportunity to get to know people that they might not otherwise talk to."

News imageJosh McLaughlin / BBC Cleo Oland cradles her cat Ashai in her arms on its back like a baby. She smiles at visitors on the street outside her home, with her cat staring at passers-by. Visitors surround Cleo and stand in front of a multi-coloured wall of graffiti art.Josh McLaughlin / BBC
Cleo Oland rescued two of her three cats from Bahrain

Cleo Oland has been running a cat-sitting business for seven years and said she wanted to get involved after seeing the Toronto Cat Tour.

She adopted one of her three cats, Ashai, from the streets of Bahrain through feline welfare charity Rescat.

"It was really hard for him to be adopted because he was in a really poor condition and he had high medical bills," Ms Oland said.

Ashai, who has Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) – a cat-specific virus that weakens the immune system, making them prone to infections – proved popular on the tour, meeting visitors on the street as they arrived.

News imageJosh McLaughlin / BBC Volunteer Elodie Grenville poses with her cat, Pixie. She looks down at her affectionately. Pixie stares back at her from the window inside its rocket cat carrier.Josh McLaughlin / BBC
Elodie Grenville said her cat Pixie enjoys travelling in a rocket cat carrier

Elodie Grenville also joined the tour before stopping to show her own cat Pixie.

"Who can resist meeting a bunch of cats?" she asked.

"Hopefully people will see the videos from this event and maybe they can spread it in their own city and bring it to their own country," Mr Gutierrez said.

"United by cats – imagine that."

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