St Andrews’ most famous feline, Hamish McHamish, is to be immortalised.
The moggy is so loved by locals, they decided to raise £5,000 for the life-size bronze similar to Greyfriars Bobby in Edinburgh.
The pet which “walked out” on its owner aged one struts freely about the Fife town, enjoying cuddles, treats and catnaps in pretty much any home it wishes to visit.
A fundraising website has been set up, which has already received £1,000 in donations. Hamish has an astounding 5,000 friends on his dedicated Facebook page and tourists stop to have their picture taken with him.
He reached national fame in October last year, when a book about him, Hamish McHamish, Cool Cat About Town, was published.
Flora Selwyn, who runs local website St Andrews in Focus, came up with the idea of a life-size statue similar to Greyfriars Bobby.
Bobby, a Skye terrier, was said to have guarded the grave of his owner for 14 years until he died himself on January 14 1872.
Ms Selwyn said: “Following on from the success of the book it seemed a good time to consolidate the fame of Hamish.
“The book is so delightful, it occurred to me that, perhaps, a Greyfriars Bobby equivalent might be a good idea for the town. After all, Hamish has been giving pleasure to St Andrews for many years.”
Scots sculptor David Annand has been commissioned to create the bronze statue and said he felt proud to create a piece that could be as renowned as the Edinburgh terrier.
He said: “I’ve not started yet, but straight away I imagine it’s going to be a sculpture where Hamish is sitting down.
“This will also give it a sturdier base and make it more stable once it is erected, than if it was built standing on all fours.
“It’ll probably weigh around 50kg when it is finished and will take around a month to complete.”