Man Gives Up Home, Job, & Belongings To Explore Australia With His Cat

By: Adri Sandoval
Adri Sandoval is the Special Projects Manager for iHeartDogs and iHeartCats. Her work has deepened her love for animals, fostering a strong passion for rescue and animal advocacy.Read more
| October 28, 2017

In 2014, Rich East realized that he was unhappy with where life had taken him. It wasn’t a bad life: he had a home, a stable corporate job, and a fuzzy black rescue cat named Willow, but the wanderlust in him ached for something different. In what Rich calls “the most well prepared mid life crisis in history,” he decided to trade the life he had built in exchange for a new one. With little hesitation, he gave up his job, his home, and his belongings – everything except Willow.

A post shared by Rich & Willow – travelling cat (@vancatmeow) on

Rich’s plan was to travel across Australia, living in a camper van and seeing everything the country had to offer. Being the incredible companion that she is, Willow took to the road with ease! Rich wanted to acclimate her to a life of travel slowly, as he explains on their website,

“I took Willow away for weekends, then whole weeks, and not only did she cope, she thrived. I soon realised that what I thought was a house cat was in fact a van cat, an adventure cat!”


Since moving into the van in December 2014, Rich and Willow have traveled over 31,000 miles, exploring Australia.

Although a life of travel in itself is exciting, Rich gets the added thrill of sharing the experience with his best friend.

Together, they’ve seen some really incredible places, like the Great Barrier Reef…

…Cataract Dam…


…and whatever this place is!

A post shared by Rich & Willow – travelling cat (@vancatmeow) on

Wherever they go, whatever they do, they’ll experience it all together.

A post shared by Rich & Willow – travelling cat (@vancatmeow) on

You can follow this pair of nomads on Facebook, Instagram, or at VanCatMeow.com

H/T: mymodernmet.com

Featured Photo: @vancatmeow/Instagram