York Cat Trail

There are two versions of this self-guided walking tour of York:

• The York Cat Trail – map available from York Lucky Cats or on their website
• The York Cat Hunt – map available from The Cat Gallery or on their website

Both maps feature over 20 cats and start where you pick up the map. You could also plan your own route if you’d prefer.

There are about 35 cat statues in York, with new ones being added all the time. The York Cat Trail focuses on the most central cats, featuring over 20 of them, and is about 1.2 miles (2 kilometres) long.

Depending on how easy you find it to spot these elusive felines, your quest could take between an hour and an hour and a half. You may want to allow for longer, as there is lots to see along the way.

Remember to look up to spot the kitties, as many of them are above doorways or on walls.

Of course, you don’t have to do the entire trail if it’s too long for your group, or you could spread it over a couple of days.

Cats have played a significant role in York’s history, as they were often regarded as lucky. This is because they are said to have nine lives and always land on their feet. The first cat statues were added to buildings around 200 years ago to scare away rodents that carried the plague and other diseases.

Cats were also surrounded by superstition, with many thinking they could ward off evil spirits and bring good luck and health. The cat sculptures in the city come from a variety of time periods.

In the 1920s, Sir Stephen Aitcheson put two cats onto a building he owned on Low Ousegate. Later, in the 1970s, architect Tom Adams started adding cats to buildings he designed.

The York Cat Hunt was launched by The Cat Gallery in 2011. The couple who owned the gallery at the time were fascinated with the cat sculptures in the city and decided to research them, collating the information they found on their website.

The trail is a quirky way to explore this historic city, making sightseeing more enjoyable for younger children. As well as the cat statues, along the trail you’ll see some of the city’s best sights, including:

• Clifford’s Tower
• The Grand Opera House
• The Shambles
• Betty’s Tearooms
• Barley Hall

Some of the cats in York are easy to find, with others taking a little more effort to spot. We don’t want to ruin the trail for you, but here are some examples of where you’ll find the moggies:

• The Cat Gallery shop (the starting point for the trail and the first cat)
• Stonegate
• Peter Lane
• Coppergate
• The Shambles
• The Joseph Rowntree Theatre

Yes, the York Cat Trail is a free self-guided walking tour of York. You can download a free PDF map online to keep on your phone or print out, which details where you can find all the cat statues.

Yes, the York Cat Hunt is wheelchair friendly.