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Living on a narrowboat with your cat is something we’ve all romanticised once in our life – but how to make it a reality? Take a speedy 2 minute walk from the hustle and bustle of Kings Cross Station, you’ll find yourself in a sanctuary of people living this dream every day – a quiet mooring neighbourhood nestled in the heart of London. 17 boats, 10 cats (a brilliant ratio) and 1 lady, Li, who we caught up with on an unseasonably warm October day.
We’d made our way to this total hidden gem in the middle of the city to meet Li, and her boat-dwelling cat companion, GC – short for Garden Cat. Living on a boat with your cat in one of the most exciting cities in the world seems like something many people could only dream of, but Li and GC are truly living the dream on their houseboat in London. We talked boat life, work life and most importantly, cats!
After being greeted by friendly black cats confidently hurdling between boat roofs, we were welcomed into Li’s home – a charming boat where faithful GC is waiting politely on the kitchen counter to suss out the intruders. The boat, complete with a fully decked-out kitchen finished with gold handles (glam), a living room with a log burner, sofa and armchair, a WFH desk, a shower and loo (obviously) and at the very end, a cosy double bed surrounded by a floor-to-ceiling bookcase filled with enough music and literature to entertain the whole neighbourhood. Li’s created a dream home on the water.
Li genuinely has one of those lives that everyone talks about having one day, but she’s actually gone and done it. She’s found herself in London following her two main passions in life: cats and music, both of which enrich her life in equal measures. Working in fundraising for an Orchestra, Li started her London living journey in the same way as most of us, the classic house share scenario.
Although maybe not as luxurious as her current floating abode, renting did bring her most precious friend GC into her life – the feral garden cat who ventured indoors one day and never looked back. Watching GC and Li together, their bond is so precious – you can tell they complete one another. Soulmates. Off the back of a breakup, often how some of our best life decisions are made, Li decided it was time for change for them both. With GC and a minimalist lifestyle in mind, it was time to try boat life.
And here we are on the beautiful mooring, somehow tucked away and secret, but in the middle of the big bustling city. Now for most of us, cats and water is a total no go, but it seems here the rules are a little different, with 10 cats living between the 17 boats. A small army of cat people drawn together by the water, Li sees cat people as creative and independent individuals, with cats and their humans finding companionship in their shared independence. It’s quite the colony – a true community of people looking out for one another and their mogs.
Although the cats do seem quite at home on the water, boat life doesn’t go by without the occasional cat overboard. The reality is that GC and his fellow felines do sometimes take a tumble into the canal from time to time – 9 lives and all. Worry not, they always manage to get themselves out, though it’s reassuring to know that help is just next door if they need it. Li explains the grim reality of a dripping wet cat sitting on your chest at 2am, refusing to be towel dried and opting strictly for body heat only to warm them up. ‘You have to live with the fact that they’re there for the night, a soggy, snuggly pillow.’
Finding this hidden gem and community has really given Li the wonderful flexibility and freedom that boat life brings whilst still having access to all the wonders London has to offer. Going to the theatre, eating at restaurants people dream of and then strolling home to a slice of sanctuary in the city. ‘I have the luxury of owning my own home in the heart of London, which I wouldn’t be able to do the ‘traditional’ way.’ And just a short sail away to be anywhere you desire. The ability to take your home and your cat with you on adventures, but still wake up in your own bed in these amazing places is pretty unique. We think it’s magic, and as we’re sat talking to Li on her beautiful boat, we can’t help but wonder if this is the life every cat person dreams of.
Until next time, Cat People.
