Social media star cat from the train station makes the city famous

A cat that lives at a train station has become an unexpected online superstar, attracting visitors from all over the world and even having its own range of products.

George the Cat has hundreds of thousands of followers on social media and now has his own Google Maps marker at Stourbridge Junction station.

The ten-year-old red-haired cat has been guarding the train platforms as a “rat catcher” since his owner emigrated to Spain in 2017.

Stationmaster Ian Tomlinson has adopted George, who spends his days patrolling the station or curled up in the ticket office.

It’s hard to believe, but fans have traveled thousands of miles just to catch a glimpse of him, with some coming from as far away as the US, Canada and Asia.

Polly, 75, and Tony Armstrong, 69, travelled from Lancaster to celebrate her 15th wedding anniversary with George. (Image: Emma Trimble / SWNS)

Polly and Tony Armstrong decided to celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary with a 260-mile round trip from Lancaster.

Polly, 75, a former translator for British Aerospace, said: ‘We are both crazy about cats. We see George every day on Facebook.

“We have three packages of Dreamies and are wandering up and down the platform looking for him.

“We’ve been following him for about a year. Today is our wedding anniversary and we thought we’d come here and look for George.

“We once went to a world meeting of crazy cat lovers in Rome. We went to this cat sanctuary that had 200 cats. I’m crazy about cats.”

Polly, 75, and Tony Armstrong, 69, with George (Image: Emma Trimble / SWNS)

Mike Bell, 74, and his wife Iris, 72, had travelled from Chipping Campden, Glos. and found the station foggy after seeing it on television.

Mike said: “We saw it on the news this morning and thought ‘we need a day off’, so we thought let’s go and see George. He’s a lovely cat and very gentle.

“We probably drove about 40 miles. We saw almost the whole of Stourbridge just to find the station.

“He’s a lovely cat, very clean and well cared for. We’ve had horses and cats all our lives. We had them and we kept them somewhere.

“The last one we had was a ginger cat. He just showed up at our door and stopped. I haven’t had another one because I can’t bear to lose her.

“We’ve never been to Stourbridge. I can’t say I’ve ever travelled 40 miles to see a cat.”

George, the cat in front of the station (Image: Emma Trimble / SWNS)

George currently has 66,000 followers on X and 49,000 followers on Facebook, where his posts with uplifting messages help spread positivity.

His rapidly rising popularity has earned him a pin on Google Maps and his own merchandise line, which includes George-themed hats, mugs, coasters and calendars.

A percentage of the profits from its merchandise sales are donated to local charities.

George helped Stourbridge Junction win the World Cup of Stations award in 2020 and helped prevent local ticket offices from closing last year.

Channel director Simone Carter said at the time: “George first joined the channel in December 2017 and has been the star of the show ever since.

“As well as helping us in the booking office most days, George is a fantastic addition to our team who work tirelessly to provide exceptional customer service to our passengers.

“I am so proud of the team and our wonderful ambassador George for their hard work and determination.”