Meet the Scottish cat with a worldwide fanbase who is attracting tourists to seaside town
16.01.2024 - 12:57
/ dailyrecord.co.uk
A popular seaside town has had a helping hand - or paw - with its tourism in recent years, in the form of a much-loved local cat. Parsley has built up a huge social media following for his antics in Oban, and has even had visitors from all over the world.
The Maine Coon has thousands of online fans, including some from the USA, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Pakistan and South Africa. Parsley, who is nine, also loves to socialise in the real world too - and some of his international fanbase have travelled across the globe to find out for themselves.
A Facebook page which keeps people up to date with the friendly feline's goings-on has more than 8,000 followers. And after his owner, Fiona Campbell-Smith, added to her cat brood with Misha and Purdie, a new page was launched detailing the ups and downs of the trio's lives.
Parsley became well-known for his wanderlust and although he has never left Oban, he is always on the move around his Argyll and Bute hometown. His love for adventure became so strong that Fiona had to have him fitted with a GPS tracker so that she could always find him.
His fame has led to merchandise being sold in a local gift shop, with fans able to pick up Parsley prints, coasters, and key-rings. And some of those fans have travelled from far and wide to see him.
Speaking in 2017, Fiona said: "He is bringing in dozens of tourists who come to see him from all over the world. People are booking holidays next year from the States, Canada and Australia especially to see him.
"People might think 'Nobody does that just to see a cat,' but they do. It is amazing the number of people who come to see him. I put a status on his Facebook page asking people to comment if they had come to see him and say