Meet the 'famous' Oxford University cat that keeps students company in the library... and travels to campus on a bus every day

By SHANNON MCGUIGAN, NEWS REPORTER Published: 00:00, 17 April 2026 | Updated: 00:01, 17 April 2026 Meet the 'famous' Oxford University library cat who's been keeping students company during their studies. Cat Isambard Kitten Brunel, also known as Issy, makes a bus commute to the library alongside his owner Jamie Fishwick-Ford, every day. Jamie, who is a librarian at Lady Margaret Hall at one of the colleges at Oxford University, began bringing the feline, also known as Issy, to work six years ago. And the fluffy Siberian forest cat, who spends his days lounging in Jamie's office, has quickly become a hit with students, gaining a loyal following.  His 43-year-old owner explained that while the cat does not freely roam around the college or the library, he only leaves his office to be petted or for outdoor exercise.  'He's proved very popular with the students, and he definitely loves to be loved by them,' she said. 'There are some students who come to see him several times a week. 'Lots of people bring friends and family to meet him, and he's become a bit of an unofficial mascot. He even appears on some of our outreach team's stickers.' After Jamie got Issy in September 2019, he began bringing her to work immediately despite being told the college was 'very dog-orientated'.  The college's coat of arms has two dogs, after being founded by Bishop Talbot, with Talbot being a type of medieval hunting dog. Cat Isambard Kitten Brunel, also known as Issy, makes a bus commute to the library alongside his owner Jamie Fishwick-Ford, every day  Jamie, (pictured) who is a librarian at Lady Margaret Hall at one of the colleges at Oxford University, began bringing the feline, also known as Issy, to work six years ago 'College had a policy allowing you to bring dogs to work, as long as they mostly stayed in your office and you got permission from anyone else whose office they visited. She added: 'But I prefer cats! I decided to get a cat and bring them to work instead of a dog. I follow the same policy as the dogs' The much-loved feline mostly travels on his owner's shoulders and can often be spotted wearing a harness and lead.  'He's also used as an unofficial welfare animal, and he's very empathetic,' Jamie explained. 'He's always very friendly and calm, but he's even more so when someone is upset or crying, he's had several people come to him in tears after they've accidentally deleted their dissertations or so on. 'I deliberately got a Siberian Forest Cat because they are hypoallergenic, so it wouldn't set people's allergies off as much, both in the library and on the commute.' And the fluffy Siberian forest cat, who spends his days lounging in Jamie's office, has quickly become a hit with students, gaining a loyal following The much-loved feline mostly travels on his owner's shoulders and can often be spotted wearing a harness and lead Jamie said Issy has become a local celebrity with people stopping her in the streets to ask if he is the famous library cat and to get a photo with him. 'On the bus he expects to get attention from the other passengers - and will 'miaow' until he gets fussed by them,' she added. 'He also visits my local pub with me fairly frequently. They have a policy of allowing dogs, and I just apply that to him too. 'Other colleges also sometimes ask for visits from the famous library cat, so we go to visit them and give their students a chance to meet him.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.