When the commuters who travel through Gipsy Hill train station in London first noticed a black-and-white cat waving them goodbye, they didn’t know how adored, appreciated, and taken care of she would become.
Whether or not she knew what they thought of her, she continued coming back, sitting on passengers’ laps and assisting them by warming up the contactless card readers on Platform 1.
We’re bringing you a story about Fanny, a beloved, tuxedo cat that quickly became as frequent at the station as one of the official members of the staff. Fanny doesn’t live at the station, though. She lives across the street with two humans and a brother, a ginger cat called Quiche.
She was born sometime in 2011 and she was a house cat from the beginning. She spent her early years (18 months, to be exact) lounging on the sofa, munching on Fancy Feast and Meow Mix, and running around the apartment with her brother.
She began frequenting Gipsy Hill station around 2013 because she became bored. She was quite the character, too – she adored meowing at passengers, demanding attention, getting cuddles and snuggles, and making everyone’s day better and brighter.
And, the passengers adored her back! They would bring her little treats and trinkets, play with her while waiting for the train, take photographs of her, and show them to everyone they knew because they were that excited about meeting an ordinary, black-and-white cat.
(Source: The Gipsy Hill Cat)
They would appreciate every moment they spent with her and they didn’t even try to mask the fact that they were becoming fans, friends, or whatever you would name them.
One of the passengers shared on Facebook that she’s been coming back to the station to see Fancy. On one occasion she wrote that Fancy’s at the station from the break of dawn because she’s attracted by the rustling of the croissant bag, and she’s always meowing for cuddles.
Oh, Fanny adored the attention she was getting. She continued coming back to the station for years and years to come, and she managed to become quite a sensation. She became famous and she even got her own Twitter account.
“Hi, my name is Fanny and I work at Gipsy Hill Station. When I’m not at work I tend to stay in, licking myself or discussing current affairs with my pal Quiche,” her Twitter bio reads and attests to the fact that she’s the most memorable fluffer we’ve ever had the pleasure of writing about.
But, that’s not even a fraction of Fanny’s story. Fanny affected everyone’s days more than she could’ve ever hoped for, and when push came to shove, everyone made sure that Fanny knew how adored and appreciated she had been.
One night (years and years after becoming the station’s regular), Fanny didn’t return home. On the following morning, Fanny’s family found her close to the station, severely injured.
One of the doctors who examined her came out and concluded that she had been hit by a car, she had a ruptured diaphragm, and she needed surgery that would cost them around £2,000. After hearing the terrible news, Fanny’s fans set up a fundraising page praying to gather enough money to pay for Fanny’s surgery.
Within an hour, Fanny’s fans managed to gather more than the target £2,000 and promised to donate the rest to South Norwood Animal Rescue and Liberty (SNARL), a local rescue center heading up the London Cat Killer investigation. While everyone was praying for her health, Fanny underwent the surgery and headed toward the road of recovery.
(Source: The Gipsy Hill Cat)
When she recovered, her friends and fans welcomed her back with an adorable little shelter, complete with a warm, soft bed, she could use when she’s frequenting the station. Her home away from home was embellished with a plaque proclaiming her “the world’s friendliest station cat.”
Over the course of time, Fanny’s community stepped up once more when she became seriously unwell with a severe infection. Of course, they set up another fundraising page and gathered £880 to pay for her treatments.
Months and months of vet visits and treatments went by before Fanny was allowed to come back to the station. When the warmer weather came back, Fanny started frequenting Gypsy Hill once more and hasn’t stopped since.
Without a doubt, Fanny has impacted the lives of Gypsy Hill passengers more than anyone could’ve imagined.
Whether you’re a fan of Fanny’s or not, you can follow her on social media and check what she’s been doing (cuddling and snuggling the passengers, probably). Fanny has her own Twitter account, which we’ve already mentioned, and she doesn’t shy away from posting pictures of her trips to the station and sharing passengers’ pictures of her.
She has her own Instagram account, too, because she wanted to be hip like the youngsters these days. She’s too embarrassed to post on Facebook because nobody uses Facebook anymore.
However, she does have a Facebook video with over 2.3 million views which attests to the fact that Fanny’s not your regular moggy. And, she’s even got a dedicated Fanny the Gipsy Hill Cat Fund for donations for anyone who wants to support Fanny.
What more can we say? Fanny adores the world, and the world adores her back!
