A Story Worth Sharing: Nala's Ark

Some stories just stop you in your tracks — and this is one of them. 

A few years ago, a Scottish welder named Dean quit his job, bought a bicycle, and set off to ride around the world. Somewhere in the Bosnian mountains in December 2018, he heard a tiny meow. He stopped — and watched a small kitten come tottering determinedly toward him. His plan was simply to save the wee kitten and get her to a vet — no small challenge when all you have is a bike and you're in a foreign country. He had no intention of keeping her.

The kitten, apparently, had other ideas. She climbed right out of the front bag on the handlebars and onto his shoulder — and that was that. Once he figured out the kitten was a she, he named her Nala. Then came a basket for the bike, a harness, a leash, and just like that, they were officially a team.

As a fellow cat person, I can tell you — the videos of Nala perched contentedly in her basket as they roll through stunning European landscapes are pure joy. Watch the very first video of their meeting right here 👉 Meet Nala, then go follow them on Facebook for the whole journey. 👉 1bike1world on Facebook (and while your there, dive into his Photos section and see years' worth of darling pictures of Nala and Dean!)

And now Dean has taken that chance encounter somewhere truly beautiful. He's just launched Nala's Ark, a registered charity focused on education, supporting animal shelters, and funding TNR (trap-neuter-release) projects for stray animals worldwide.

One little kitten on a mountain road. Look what she started.👉 Watch this heart-warming video of the first time Dean and Nala met! She so tiiiinyyyy!!! <sniffles>