A memorial to a celebrity East Lothian cat has appeared inside the window of the shop he was controversially banned from.
Rupert of Bankton was a hugely popular figure in Prestonpans before he passed away last month after being hit by a car.
The cat hit the headlines earlier this year after being barred from his favourite shop – the town's Co-op – after a solitary complaint from a member of the public. Edinburgh Live reported in January how people were outraged at the ban, and wanted the pet to be allowed back in the store.
Now a shrine to the treasured animal has appeared in the window of the store, with a painting reading the message 'Rest in Peace Rupert, we will all miss you' and several toys on display to the public so they can remember him whenever they pass.
After his passing Rupert of Bankton's owner launched a funding page in a bid to have a memorial tribute created in Prestonpans. So far £3,253 has been raised with the aim to have a mural or statue created near the town's train station.
The page reads: "Rupert was my cat but he didn't like to stay home at Bankton, East Lothian, as evidently that was a bit boring.
"Instead he liked to visit Prestonpans train station, where he used to go up to people miaowing repeatedly. This led me to start his own Facebook page as he was regularly mistaken as a sad, lonely wee stray cat.
"When the Covid pandemic struck and “his people” no longer appeared on the platform each day. He changed his hang out to the local Co-op, next to Prestonpans train station.
"Rupert quite enjoyed sleeping on the shelves in the Co-op but someone took umbrage at this and reported him to Environmental Health. This was a sad day but thankfully his other haunts were still open, ie East Coast Carpets, Links Vets, the local ambulance station, as well as the garage and local factories.
"Rupert had a great but short life. He was adored by many."
You can contribute to the funding page here.
At the time Rupert was banned from the Co-op, an East Lothian spokesperson said: "A complaint was made regarding a cat being within the shop and as this is a food premises the manager was advised to remove the animal from the shop."
