Shrine for a cat that sat on every mat

To some he was known as Ginger. Others called him Dave or Atkinson. Some even knew him as Fonzworthy III.

Now the death of a charismatic stray moggy who won the affection of an entire street has sparked a flood of 'Diana-like' tributes.



Residents who once fed and fussed over him have laid poems, flowers and photographs at the spot where the ginger tom liked to stretch out to cat-nap.

'He touched our lives in so many ways,' said 40-year-old Keith Davis, of Holloway, Bath. 'Although he was streetwise, he was wonderfully affectionate. Collectively, we looked after him and he'll be missed terribly.'



One tribute addressed to Dave read: 'We've enjoyed your company immensely over the years and will miss and remember you.' Tony Brown, 66, knew the cat as Atkinson. 'When he died, we thought we ought to put a notice up because he was so well known,' he said.

'Suddenly, there was an extraordinary outpouring of grief and this Diana-like shrine began to grow. It was only then we discovered just how many people were looking after him. You couldn't own Atkinson, he was his own cat. My epitaph for him is he was owned by no one but belonged to everyone.'