Town remembers Felix the 'community cat'

Felix was described as a "community cat" by Ailie Hill, who said she was "sort of" his owner

A town has been paying its respects to a popular black and white cat that used to patrol its streets.

The bench in Ludlow, in Shropshire, where Felix used to stretch out, has had a plaque installed, and a local artist has painted a portrait of him.

Ailie Hill, who used to welcome him into her house, said he loved the attention he would get from passers-by and was constantly popping into the town centre shops.

She described him as a "big, big character" who everybody knew by name.

Ms Hill said Felix was "kind of" her cat that had originally belonged to a neighbour but crept in through a cat flap at her home and spent a lot of time living with her.

Then when she moved to a house in Ludlow town centre, "he very quickly realised that if he was to wander around out all day on the market square, he would get loads of treats and loads of fuss".

She said he had a favourite bench on Quality Square, where he would stop and "overlook and oversee his domain".

Ailie Hill says it is "really cool" that Felix is being remembered by the town

Ms Hill said Felix had a favourite chair at a local hairdressers, and if someone else claimed it, he would "stare them out until they moved".

Sometimes, she said he would "curl up there and go to sleep, and they didn't want to disturb him", so he would end up staying the night there.

He would also spend time in an art gallery, the window of the White Stuff clothes shop and The Old Bakehouse restaurant.

Abigail Humphries has been painting a portrait of Felix

Felix died at the end of January after picking up a kidney infection at the age of 13, and Ms Hill said it was "really cool" that people appeared to want to remember him.

She said a Ludlow artist, Abigail Humphries, was also painting a "beautiful portrait" of Felix

When it was finished, she said it would "hang inside one of the buildings in Quality Square, so it looks like he's looking out of the window down on the square, overlooking his domain".

She said there are plans to hang a poem alongside it, for the children who liked to come looking for Felix.

A miniature Felix sits beside the till at the hairdressers

The plaque on his favourite bench in Quality Square was gifted by a councillor.

It reads: "In memory of Felix the boss cat, everybody's friend, who loved to sit on this bench."

"He was just so dear to us all," said Ms Hill.