RIP: Nala the cat of Stevenage

[DaveHarries]

Greetings all,

Anyone on this forum who has used Stevenage station, either regularly or occasionally, may have met a ginger and white cat named Nala who would perch on top of the ticket barriers at the station. Nala was quite the station celebrity attracting greetings and friendship from the stations many users.

It has been posted on Nala's Facebook page earlier today - Sunday 07th December - that her days of greeting people at Stevenage station have come to an end. The message reads this:

It's with heavy hearts that we share the sad news that our beloved Nala has passed away. She was so much more than a pet to us she was a cherished member of our family, and we're grateful for every moment we got to share with her. We also feel incredibly thankful that Nala became a part of the wider community too. She loved every bit of the attention, affection, and smiles she brought to so many people. Nala's sweet nature and joyful spirit touched countless hearts, and we know she will be deeply missed by many. Our home, and our community, just won't be the same without her.

Thank you to everyone who showed her love along the way. Nala we hope you have many more adventures in the sky.

(Source: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1253642610143651&set=a.407730798068174 or https://www.facebook.com/nalastationcat)

I nearly got the chance to say hello to her when my employer offered me a work trip to Stevenage by train and, as someone who likes cats, I would have enjoyed that. In the end the employer unfortunately came up with another plan to get me there so I never got the chance. May she rest in peace.

Dave

 

[31160]

Oh poor little guy, it's always lovely seeing a station cat, saw aurtur at Minehead to other day, reminds you of home

 

[Cach17]

RIP.

Can't help but point out how great of a shame it is to have used genAI for the tribute image though.

 

[Stampy]

Passed Nala on the station overbridge back on Boxing Day 2023, after Stevenage thumped my side 3-0 on a very cold day....

A stroking session of Nala made me feel a bit better!

RIP Nala

 

[Sian2026]

RIP.

Can't help but point out how great of a shame it is to have used genAI for the tribute image though.

There’s now a much better tribute on the Nala FB page with lovely photos of Nala with family and station users:-

https://fb.watch/DS-S1kK8yj/?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 8 Dec 2025 ==

More here: https://bbc.in/3XGxCGs

 

[Cach17]

There’s now a much better tribute on the Nala FB page with lovely photos of Nala with family and station users:

https://fb.watch/DSQ4NV9pJq/?

That's more like it!

A shame we've lost her after a mere six years

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 9 Dec 2025 ==

Noticed just now that she made it onto the recent deaths section on the main page of Wikipedia.

(screenshot of the aforementioned page with Nala listed on it)

 

[milooo]

Is there a link available to the GoFundMe for the statue?

 

[Trackman]

Did Stevenage station have 2 cats at one time?

 

[CarltonA]

Is there a link available to the GoFundMe for the statue?

Maybe they could go down the route that Slough did for their dog but I think things have changed somewhat since then.

 

[Railwaycat]

Would love to see a list of all the current station cats, made a special journey to see Felix at Huddersfield when he was alive, and produced a painting of him, not one of my best though. Might even be tempted to pick up my brush again!

 

[Cowley]

Thread reopened for @Magdalia to update

 

[Magdalia]

Thanks.

BBC News report that the Stevenage cat memorial statue has been approved by the local council see here:

Stevenage station's cat Nala to get memorial bronze statue

A sculpture of Nala will stand at the station she used to visit after councillors approve plans.

www.bbc.co.uk

A bronze memorial statue of a cat will be installed at a railway station she used to visit.

Nala became an internet sensation by greeting commuters while perched on a ticket barrier at Stevenage railway station, in Hertfordshire, before her death in December.

The 5.5ft (1.7m) sculpture will be on the walkway connecting the town's Arts and Leisure Centre with the station, after hundreds of messages of support were sent to the council from across the UK and overseas.

Plans were approved by Stevenage Borough Council's planning committee, external on Tuesday.

 

[CarltonA]

I was preparing to see a five foot cat sculpture, but most of that is the pedestal it seems.

 

[Ediswan]

Looking at the mock-up photo in the article, the planned location is on the far side of the Arts and Leisure Centre, about 100m from the station. That may be the closest spot that will not cause an obstruction to foot traffic.

 

[WesternLancer]

Looking at the mock-up photo in the article, the planned location is on the far side of the Arts and Leisure Centre, about 100m from the station. That may be the closest spot that will not cause an obstruction to foot traffic.

Not as close to the barrier line as you might hope then.