Wandering cat Kurri clocks up 15,000 kilometers in two-month road trip
Estonian traveling cat Kurri covered 15,000 kilometers across 14 countries this summer, reaching Armenia for the first time on his sixth annual road trip with owner Katri Bagirov's family.
Nine-year-old Kurri, a cat adopted from a shelter by Estonian owner Katri Bagirov, has become an experienced traveler after covering 15,000 kilometers in two months this summer. The journey took him and his family through 14 countries, including mountain roads in the Caucasus, marking the first time the group reached Armenia. Upon returning home, Kurri reportedly sulked for three days, refusing to sleep next to Bagirov as usual, apparently upset that the daily adventure of traveling had come to an end.
Bagirov met Kurri while volunteering at a shelter, where he arrived in the worst condition among a group of cats in quarantine one winter. Diagnosed with pneumonia, he was nursed back to health by Bagirov, who initially looked for another home for him before deciding to adopt him herself. Despite her travel-heavy lifestyle, the decision became possible once her mother agreed to care for Kurri during her absences.
From reluctant traveler to seasoned road-tripper
Kurri was not naturally suited to travel at first — even a single car ride caused him anxiety, illness and digestive issues, forcing Bagirov to protect her car's interior with plastic and newspaper. Through gradual training with a harness and leash, he adapted to car travel. A turning point came when the COVID-19 pandemic ruled out flying, prompting the family to drive through Germany, France, Spain and Portugal instead, during which Kurri surprised Bagirov by walking through entire villages along the way.
This year's trip was Kurri's sixth summer road journey and by far the longest, taking the group to the Caucasus for the first time. Traveling with Katri, her mother and her husband, the family plans most of its trips around Kurri's needs. Within the European Union, pet travel requires only a microchip, a pet passport and rabies vaccination, while trips beyond the EU also require a health declaration confirming parasite treatment. Before booking accommodation, the family always checks whether hosts will allow a cat to stay overnight, noting that smaller guesthouses have generally been more welcoming than larger hotels with stricter policies.
