Exclusive:
Maverick, a five-year-old Bengal cat, who previously went viral after showing off his surfing skills is now set to become a TV star in a travel show, which shows the moggie travelling to Italy
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Meet Maverick the ‘surfing cat’
A furrmidable surfing cat has landed his own TV travel show – after being trained by a Geordie extreme sports athlete.
Maverick, a five-year-old Bengal cat, is no scaredy cat when it comes to hitting the waves.
Now he has just finished filming a series called Travel Through Our Eyes, which several streaming networks are in negotiations to buy.
His owner Nick Liam Heaney, from Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, used the same methods he’d learnt to become a world wakeboard champion and former X Games contender, to teach the moggie how to surf.
Now Nick and his partner Kayla Tabish, who live in California, are set to appear on screen after jetting to Itay for the new show.
The trio spent months being filmed as the feline learned how to fold pasta, eat at Michelin-star restaurants and enjoy beach life.
The pawsome feline ventured into the Alps, Venice, Milan, Amalfi Coast, Florence and Lake Como for the travel show, and developed a love of Italian pizza on the way.
But rather than munching through margaritas, the pet enjoyed resting on the piping hot takeaway boxes – even demanding his owners carry him around on one.
Nick and Kayla said the new TV show “is a dream come true” for them – and their surfing cat, who they learned “loved to ride a Vespa” while filming.
Nick said: “It is a dream come true for him to land his own series.
Maverick previously starred in Netflix show Cat People in 2021 and the Hidden Lives of Pets, which was narrated by Hugh Bonneville.
But the family of three felt they needed their own special.
Kayla said: “It is us travelling through our eyes. He goes to a Michelin Star restaurant. He also meets with chefs and burns pasta, and does all sorts of crazy Italian antics. He enjoyed a farm dinner with alpacas and donkeys.
“He became a local celebrity in all the places we went. One restaurant owner effectively urged us to come over every night so they could feed him at the table.
“Mav was even cooked his own special fish dishes and venison platters. He lived like a king.
Maverick is also a therapy cat for Kayla, who battles mental health issues.
Kayla says a reason for doing the show is not for fame but to promote her partnership with the charity Stomp Out The Stigma – a cause which shows animals can help people deal with depression.
The moggie’s journey to stardom began when he showed an interest in his owners lounging on inflatables in the pool.
Nick then trained the furball from the age of eight weeks to dispel the long-held myth that no cats ever like water, regularly taking him for a dip in pools or the ocean.
Those sessions, called kitty surf camp, saw Nick adopt a “pro athlete approach and mentality to teaching Maverick the ways of surfing.”
He said: “Maverick did surf camp in the pool from 8 weeks to about 15 weeks old. From there he graduated up to surfing in lakes and calm lagoons and when he was about 5 months old he surfed his first wave at Malibu. We took it very slowly and made sure he enjoyed every step of the process.”
He then made a splash globally as videos of him surfing, visiting the beach and swimming went viral.
Nick has since turned his feline friend’s fame into a pet accessory business.
“I designed a life jacket for cats, which allow for maximum mobility, performance and floatation. Most life jackets are made for dogs, and we really saw a need for this, because more people than ever are going out with their cats.
“Harnesses and leases are also available in many colours.”
Now, the next step for Maverick could be on the red carpet, as Nick and Kayla work with Oscar-nominated producer Andrew Sugerman on a project about a couple experiencing “modern-day van life” through the eyes of a cat.
