Meet Smudge, Arguably the Isle of Man’s Most Famous Cat

Meeting the Mayor? Check.

Having a personalised bed outside of Frank Matcham’s? Check.

3.1k followers on a Facebook page – dedicated to them? Check.

Smudge in her personalised bed at Frank Matchams (Rachel Liu)

If you haven’t guessed already, or if you don’t yet know who Smudge is, you are missing out.

This friendly feline is making her mark on Douglas and beyond – with her parents Rachel and Winston Liu documenting it along the way.

The couple re-homed Smudge when she was just under a year old.

She will soon be turning three and has collected quite the fanbase along the way.

Rachel said: ‘She has got a very sassy, “I’ll do what I want” attitude.

‘She seems to be a very rare cat, although I’ve found out that Torties are a very different breed to other cats. She has a very sweet, loving nature and loves to make new friends.’

‘Smudge’s Adventures’ is a public group on Facebook.

The group documents Smudge’s whereabouts with various different photos, and has since evolved into other pet owners sharing their animals.

The couple first noticed Smudge was different when she began going on her adventures. At first she stayed close to home, but soon discovered the big wide world and began venturing further.

Smudge at one of her favourite spots, B4&After hair salon (Rachel Liu)

Describing it, Rachel said: ‘Our friends and neighbours’ cats stay close to home, so I knew that this wasn’t the usual behaviour of many cats. Also, her sister is a very average cat who likes to curl up at home, so we knew she was something else!’

Smudge has found herself in some remarkable situations.

Rachel recalled some that stood out: ‘She has ended up in quite a few places that you wouldn’t expect, probably too many to mention.

‘One that sticks in my mind, though, is her first TT with us. We were looking for her for a few days and I was really worried. She wasn’t though, as she’d been having her own party with the bikers at the TT village on Victoria Road!’

To name all of the wild and wonderful places Smudge has ended up would take all day, but there are some that stood out from the rest.

A rescue mission was launched to retrieve her from a windowsill at the Sefton, which involved having to unscrew the window in order to get to her.

The Mayor of Douglas invited Smudge to her office, as she wanted to meet her personally.

Smudge and Rachel at the Mayor’s Office (Rachel Liu)

Smudge also attempted to board the ferry at the Sea Terminal, but Port Security cut her holiday short when they spotted her.

Staying true to her love for the theatre, with Frank Matcham’s is one of her favourite spots.  She has even appeared on the stage when the cast of ‘School of Rock’ were having a recent dress rehearsal.

The Facebook fame surprised the Liu family at first. Smudge has gained followers from all around the world.

Rachel said: ‘It is so lovely to see the happiness that she brings to people and how loved she is. She is certainly one very special cat.’