FROM RAGS to RICHES: a Stray Kitten Travels From Bulgaria To the UK

Our black & white male cat, Murzik, was discovered when he was just a kitten on a busy road in the seaside town of Sunny Beach, Bulgaria during the summer of 2019. He was approximately 3 months old. I was cycling back to my holiday home from the beach rushing to make my dinner and chill out on the sofa after a busy day. Suddenly two stray kittens and one adult cat came out from a bush and stopped in the middle of the road, so I had to stop too. One of them came closer and started playing with my bicycle wheel. The other two felines stayed back and didn’t approach. The playful little black and white kitten continued to play with my bicycle wheel. I couldn’t resist, I picked him up and put him on my lap. The kitten looked at me, then looked around and after that he climbed on my shoulder.

He looked adorable, playful and was very affectionate.

I had no choice but to take him home with me. I just couldn’t help myself. I felt like he had chosen me. I thought I would feed, water and shelter him for sometime… and give to someone else to look after. I live in the UK and was on holiday in Bulgaria, so taking him back to England with me seemed impossible.

On the next day, from the very moment I opened my eyes, I felt excited. I was eager to check up on my little friend. He was in the living room curled up in a ball sleeping on the sofa.

I came up to him and stroked him gently. He opened his eyes and stretched out his paw towards me.

Two hours later we were both on the beach together enjoying sunshine and relaxing. He stayed with me the entire time and never wandered too far or out of sight.

I came home in the evening, looked at him and thought: “I don’t know how long we will be together but I will call you- Murzik” (a traditional slavic pet name). There was no objections from him at that point in time, so we both agreed on the name.

We became inseparable. We did everything together: ate, slept, watched TV and went to the beach. He treated me like his mother and never left my presence.

You won’t believe me if I say his favourite place to sit was on my shoulder while I was cycling. My shoulder! Strangers on the street asked me often: “How did you manage to teach him to sit and stay on your shoulder for a long time?” I replied: “ I didn’t teach him anything. He did that by himself.”

I genuinely didn’t teach him anything. He loved sitting on one of my shoulders while I was cycling or walking and he seemed to be enjoying the view and felt safe. Sometimes we passed stray dogs on the streets who often chased us and barked at Murzik but he didn’t show any fear towards them whatsoever. He would calmly observe them knowing that he was safe on my shoulder where they couldn’t get him.

Another trait that I loved about Murzik was his discipline and ability to learn things quickly. He never went to the toilet in random places in my holiday apartment. I got him a bowl with sand in it and showed him just once. After that he only went to the toilet in that spot from then onwards. There were no further negotiations between us on this matter.

My partner was in the U.K. at that time. After a few days I sent pictures and videos of Murzik to him saying I met a friend and we got on very well. He felt in love with Murzik completely and unconditionally. He was amused of his ability to sit on my shoulder for hours and go to the toilet in the right place as well as the way he followed me everywhere without question. Not only that, he looked irresistibly cute!

My holiday break eventually came to an end one day and I had to leave Bulgaria for the U.K. I said to my partner: “I will give Murzik to someone I know in Bulgaria, so Murzik will be looked after.”

My partner replied: “Murzik is a very special and intelligent cat and now that he’s bonded with you, you should keep him.” I was indeed bonded with Murzik but taking him back to the U.K with me seemed very complicated. There were many bureaucratic obstacles to it and I resisted such an idea because it seemed practically impossible. I had also never owned a cat before so I was unsure how I would be able to accommodate him into my day-to-day life in the U.K.

I bought my flight ticket and packed my luggage. This was my last evening with Murzik before my departure. Murzik and I sat together on the sofa watching TV.

I couldn’t watch TV because I couldn’t stop thinking about Murzik. It was heartbreaking to realise this was the last time that I will see him. Perhaps I will never see him again despite giving him away to someone I know in Bulgaria. The love and bond we established between us will be lost forever.

I looked at him as I was stroking him and realised I can’t let him go. My life will never be the same. Murzik added so much joy, love and affection to my life that I have never felt before.

The next day, I rushed to the local veterinarian clinic to do all of the necessary vaccines he needs and get him a pet passport, so that he can fly with me. I bought a special cage (according to the pet transport company’s regulations) and some toys, so he wouldn’t be bored during the flight.

Murzik’s flight to the U.K. was three times more expensive than my own ticket. I had to collect many documents and do additional checks and treatments, so he would be qualified to fly and be accepted by U.K. authorities. My partner helped with the very expensive pet transfer fees on the U.K side. It was a painful expense but it was worth every single penny!

My partner was absolutely over the moon about me bringing Murzik to the U.K and he couldn’t wait to pick us both up from the airport. All of his life, he owned dogs and he always used to say he can’t imagine his life without a dog. He always liked cats but considered himself a dog person. However, Murzik has changed this entirely, he said “Murzik is like a dog in a cat’s body”.

Upon Murzik’s arrival, we both chipped in and got him everything he needs for a happy and comfortable life.

We have been buying him premium cat food only, as we want to keep him as healthy as possible. Murzik has a lot of favourite spots in our house but quite often we sleep together with him sprawling out in-between us or lying on the end of the bed. I found it quite impressive the way he copies us in some ways and often looks like a human whilst doing it. It’s truly fascinating.

Murzik likes to roam around our quiet local neighbourhood which has lovely green fields and parks nearby. When we go outside for a walk, we often go together or we meet up with him if he’s already out on his adventures. We put a GPS tracker on his collar for peace of mind so we know where he is if we want to meet up with him or bring him home if he’s out too late. He normally comes home on his own before dark. When Murzik is out with us, he follows us all the way regardless if there are dogs or other people around. He’s very loyal and sticks with us like glue! If he’s already out and we call his name near where the tracker says he is, he runs out of a bush towards us affectionally meowing and then sticks with us for the rest of our walk.

Today is Murzik’s birthday. He turned 3. We don’t know his exact birthday due to him being a stray but the vet gave this estimation based on his size, weight and developmental signs.

We are very proud pet parents and I hope Murzik will stay with us for at least another 30 years.

I’m also a mother to a 9 month old daughter but being a pet parent is truly special. It’s a similar feeling but different at the same time. Murzik definitely gave us a great parental practice before our daughter was born. Murzik was afraid of our baby daughter at first due to having no experience with baby humans. However, he has now gotten used to her and happily accepts his little human sister. She also loves him and smiles and giggles whenever she sees him. He often likes to get close to her and is frequently found lying in her cot or buggy. He’s very gentle with her and clearly demonstrates that he acknowledges that she’s only a baby. We are excited to see their bond grow over the coming years.

I have to admit I’m definitely a better person now, that who I was before meeting Murzik. Happy Birthday, boy!🐱

Follow Murzik's journey to learn more about him:

Instagram: @murzikland 🐱