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Meet the Fife stars of new Netflix show Inside the Mind of a Cat

Lindores Abbey Distillery cats have shot to fame on Netflix.
Vesper and Friar John Claw live at Lindores Abbey Distillery.

A pair of Fife cats are gaining a global following after starring in a new Netflix documentary.

Vesper and Friar John Claw, who live at Lindores Abbey Distillery in Newburgh, feature on Inside the Mind of a Cat.

The film explores the lives of cats, their relationships with their owners and what makes them unique.

Vesper and Friar John Claw feature for 20 minutes in the show as they wander the distillery halls to chase mice away from the whisky production line.

Friar John Claw and Vesper play a vital role at the distillery.

And since the film was released this month, the cats have attracted tens of thousands of followers on their Instagram account.

Distillery owners Helen and Andrew McKenzie Smith also star as they discuss the jobs carried out by the felines.

Daughter Georgina told The Courier: “I manage their Instagram account and the increase in followers has been a bit mad. They’ve now got a global following.

“The follower count is increasing by a few thousand each day.

Andrew, Helen and Georgina McKenzie Smith.

“They were discovered on Instagram by Netflix. We got a direct message from them, then they emailed and here we are.

“We didn’t expect any of this, it’s just all happened really fast.

“Netflix first reached out last November and we honestly felt it might have been a scam.

“The film crew came and spent five days here with us. Even at that point we weren’t sure we would even appear in the final cut – or if we did appear, it would be for seconds.

 

“The fact we get a good bit of screen time is amazing. The cats will be influencers sooner or later.

“People have already come in since watching the documentary to see the cats and learn about them.

“It’s funny to think our wee cats are now Netflix sensations.”

Cats’ names in nod to history of abbey

Vesper is named after the vesper hymns people would have sung in the abbey that sits opposite the distillery, and Friar John Claw is named after Friar John Cor – the monk at the abbey credited with the first recorded distillation of whisky.

Georgina added: “There’s been a long tradition of distilleries using cats in this way.

“They keep mice away from the barley we use in our production lines.

“It’s wonderful to see this history being recognised in a Netflix film.

Friar John Claw scares mice from the distillery.

“It’s fun to show that while these are our pets, they are also working cats and provide a valuable service to the distillery.

“Since the documentary has come out, followers have been keen to see what a day in the life of the cats looks like.

“The cats have also noticed me trying to find them more for Instagram updates.”

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