Norton

Norton was a grey Scottish Fold cat who became one of the most famous feline travellers in publishing history. His owner, the American author and editor Peter Gethers, had never considered himself a cat person until Norton arrived as a tiny kitten with the breed's characteristic folded-down ears — and utterly changed his mind.

Rather than leave Norton at home, Gethers took him along on his travels, and the cat proved an extraordinarily calm and companionable passenger. Norton flew on planes tucked in a shoulder bag, rode trains, sat in Paris cafés and restaurants, and accompanied Gethers around the United States and Europe with an unflappable poise that charmed almost everyone he met. Their journeys together became the subject of a hugely popular trilogy of memoirs, beginning with 'The Cat Who Went to Paris' in 1991, followed by 'A Cat Abroad' and 'The Cat Who'll Live Forever'.

The books struck a chord with millions of readers, not just as travel writing but as a warm meditation on the bond between a person and an animal, and on how a small grey cat could quietly reshape a life. When Norton died in 1998 at around sixteen years old, his passing was mourned by readers around the world. He remains a touchstone for anyone who has ever been unexpectedly converted into a devoted cat lover.