‘It’s just like having a little baby’: Manly’s pram cat Dusty loves cruising down the Corso

Meet Dusty, the pussycat in a pram who loves a beachfront stroll in his custom-built ride complete with shock absorbers and a mesh screen.

Supplied Editorial Cat Pram

Like most one-year-olds, Dusty likes a stroll along Manly’s beachfront in his pram.

But the high-riding, black and white domestic shorthair cat gets a couple more double-takes than the average toddler.

Dusty’s owner, Manly’s Valerie Nguyen, 28, gets a laugh every time she takes him along The Corso to the beach, the park or to do the shopping.

“I thought it would be nice to take him out breathing fresh air, cruising in the open,” she said. “It’s funny because people can be stressed out at the shops but, when I come in, it all of a sudden stops.”

Dusty is normally an indoor cat who lives in an apartment. Picture: Facebook

“It’s funny, it’s cool, it’s something different. I feel sorry for him because he’s always inside and cats are meant to be outdoors and exploring real life out there, … it’s just like having a little baby.”

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Ms Nguyen has even set up a Facebook page and YouTube channel for Dusty, under the name “Dusty Pattie”.

Children love to pat her cat in a pram.

“He’s well-behaved and they just laugh,” she said.

“A lot of kids notice it more than adults and they will stop and say, ‘Hey that's so cute’.”

Valerie Nguyen catching some quality time with her cat Dusty. Picture: Troy Snook

Ms Nguyen, a beauty consultant who works at Warringah Mall, said she was “always a dog person” until she met Dusty, whom she says is friendly and funny.

She ordered the cat pram from eBay for “about $280” after one of her friends bought one.

“I haven’t seen anyone with a cat pram besides my friend — she’s the one who got me into this — but it’s nice it’s something different,” she said.

“You can take the cat for a walk, instead of always letting them sit inside the house.”

The domestic shorthair relaxing at home. Picture: Facebook

Valerie Nguyen with her moggy Dusty on a stroll around Manly. Picture: Troy Snook

The Gen7Pets pram has all the mod cons of a human pram, from shock absorbers to storage baskets, and has a tether on the inside and mesh screen to make sure Dusty can’t escape.

Normally he is an indoor cat who lives in an apartment and so the pram allows him to take outings.

“When I take him out in the pram he usually meows because I think it’s all new to him, but I think he’s calling out to other cats or talking in his own language,” she said.

“But sometimes he’s tired and just wants to go home, he doesn’t want to go out.”