Images: @ragnarinthelakedistrict
An adventurous feline with a heart-warming story has been taking to the fells across Cumbria.
HRH Ragnar is a three-year-old Lynx Ragdoll cat who has been exploring the Lake District for the past year-and-a-half.
Owner Sarah Harrison, 40, of Penrith, alongside her partner Peter Wyatt, first crossed paths with Ragnar 18 months ago when he was brought into Eden Animal Rescue where she works as a care assistant.
When he arrived, he was underweight and depressed due to a digestive issue, which had been difficult for his previous owners to manage.
Sarah, who is also a kennel hand with Cumbria police dogs section, said: “At the time we didn’t have any room at the rescue, so my friend Alex asked if I’d take him home for the night and I just never took him back!
“He was depressed at first but he really seemed to perk up when I got him home. But he’s not like a normal cat, he’s really quite unusual.”
While Ragnar is supposed to be an indoor cat because of his breed which gives him a chilled out nature and makes him vulnerable to outside threats like cars, Sarah noticed that he was showing an interest in leaving the house.
She added: “I noticed he liked to get into his travel box, so I’d take him on short journeys to the shops or vets. He just enjoyed getting out so I thought okay, I’m going to get him a little lead and a harness, he just seemed to love being outside.
“He’s actually an indoor cat so he’s never been outside before, everything was new for him, like the wind and the rain, he’d never even been on grass but I just thought its good stimulation for him. Now when I get the harness out he’ll be sat at the door waiting, he just absolutely loves it.”
Ragnar loved going in the car so much that Sarah decided to start visiting quiet places like parks and eventually fells, starting with Little Mell Fell.
She said: “He climbed all the way to the top by himself and he just loved it, he loves to sit and take in the scenery, he just sat on the trig point at the top taking in the breeze.
“I’m a little wary about dogs, so we always go places early, he likes to go to the shores at Ullswater, he loves watching the water come in and jumping on the stones and we now go out every night for half an hour, even if it’s just down the road. We often go to Eden Hall, he really likes to walk around there.”
Ragnar has also visited Silloth beach, Derwentwater and Crofton pond and has holidayed with Sarah, including a stay at a cabin at Castle Carrock and a camping pod near Cockermouth.
He also goes on regular trips to Cold Springs Care home with her when she visits her Nana and makes all the residents smile.
When the pair go out for walks, there’s normally mixed responses when they bump into other people. She said: “Some people do look at me like I’m a mad cat woman, but some people do stop and talk to you.
“He’s a great little character and he’s great company – he just loves people, if he sees someone walking towards me he’ll go straight up to them, and he’s very photogenic, he likes his picture being taken. He’s really just one of a kind.”
Sarah’s colleagues and friends at work encouraged her to set up an Instagram for Ragnar to share his personality and her love for photography with the rest of the world.
After weighing only 3.8kg when he first came to the shelter, he now weighs 5.6kg and Sarah says he is thriving.
She added: “I did the Instagram because loads of people were telling me to do it, taking pictures is a bit of a hobby for me and he takes a great picture and I thought well if it inspires someone else, then why not. But I’m just very proud of him because he’s full of life now, and he seems very happy.”
The pair are planning to tackle Hallin Fell as their next adventure.
