Roaming Cat Raymond Achieves Social Media Fame for Local Adventures

A domestic cat, known for his fondness for “Aldi,” has become a social media sensation in his hometown due to his numerous escapades. Raymond, a three-year-old ginger male cat, is frequently observed navigating supermarket aisles, entering people’s homes for visits, and even accessing hotel bedrooms for naps. Within a few weeks, he has accumulated hundreds of social media followers who share images and narratives of his wanderings throughout Llangollen, Denbighshire. Rebecca Palombella, Raymond’s owner, commented, “He’s one of a kind.” Ms. Palombella, 33, a resident of Llangollen, explained that Raymond has consistently shown a propensity for roaming. “He goes everywhere,” she stated. “The recent one is Aldi, he likes Aldi.” She recounted an incident: “Someone messaged me saying ‘can you come and get your cat from Aldi?’ I wasn’t actually in town, but they know him and it came over the tannoy – ‘Raymond is on aisle 2’ – he was in the meat aisle!” Ms. Palombella further noted that Raymond has also been known to visit Spar, where she once discovered him in the cat food section, in addition to frequenting various local hotels and cafes. “He first started going to The Hand Hotel in Llangollen and we were constantly getting phone calls to come and get him because he was going up to the bedrooms and they’d find him asleep on the bed,” Ms. Palombella said. She added, “Most guests did like him but some obviously had allergies so he had to be turfed out all the time.” Raymond also visited the Bridge End Hotel, where he reportedly spent a night in one of the rooms on a particular occasion. Most recently, Raymond appeared at The Wild Pheasant Hotel, where staff reported his attempt to enter the penthouse suite. Becky, the hotel’s general manager, stated: “He tried to make his way to the penthouse suite, which has a hot tub, as if he was a VIP guest.” She continued, “He walked across the bar – which we thoroughly cleaned after. He took up my seat in the office and decided to be the general manager.” Raymond’s numerous excursions prompted Ms. Palombella to create a Facebook page for him. “I thought at least I can keep track of him,” she explained. She observed, “People were constantly messaging me saying ‘is this your cat?’ They don’t message me anymore because they know who Raymond is now. So at least I know if I need him to come home I can just go and grab him.” Ms. Palombella mentioned that individuals occasionally inquire why she does not keep Raymond indoors as a house cat. “People do comment saying ‘oh I wouldn’t want my cat going out’,” she stated. “But I can’t keep him in because he’d hate it.” She added, “I did worry about him at first, I worried about the roads… [but] he’s quite street wise – I like to think he is anyway.” She concluded, “He does come home, but only when it suits him!”