Coronation Street cat’s ashes sold at charity auction

The ashes of the famous cat which appeared in the title sequence of Coronation Street fetched £700 at a charity auction today – almost FIVE TIMES their estimate.

Celebrity feline Frisky starred in the opening of the soap for a decade, crouching on the roof of Jack Duckworth’s pigeon loft at the beginning of more than 1,000 episodes.

His remains were expected to fetch £150 at Dominic Winter Book Auctions in South Cerney, Glos., yesterday.

But eager Corrie fans from around the world packed the auction roon and made bids via the telephone and internet to push the final hammer price to £700 – or £844 after fees.

The money will be given by owner John Rimington, from Leeds, to the Cat Protection League.

He said: ”Frisky was not only a much-loved family pet, but also captured the heart of the nation and made thousands of pounds for charities.

”We were very proud to be his owners and we are keen to keep his memory alive.”

Frisky shot to fame in 1990 when he was chosen from 5,000 hopefuls to star in the opening titles of Coronation Street.

The grey, black and white tabby was seen crawling along the roof of Jack Duckworth’s pigeon loft while the famous Corrie theme tune played.

At the height of his stardom Frisky’s fan club had 1,500 members and he would receive bags of fan mail.

But he was diagnosed with inoperable cancer in 2000 and his loving owners were forced to put him to sleep.

He continued to feature in the opening credits of Britain’s longest-running soap until 2001.

The tomcat, who was rescued after being abandoned as a kitten, raised money for charity through numerous personal appearances until he passed away in 2000 at the age of 14.

His ashes were sold in a sealed wooden casket with a small brass plaque, together with a certificate from the Elysian Fields Pet Crematorium confirming Frisky’s cremation on November 17th 2000.

The lot was sold along with a group of nine publicity postcards, six of which show the cat lovingly cradled by Corrie stars.

The remains of the Weatherfield cat were sold at Dominic Winter Book Auctions in South Cerney, Glos.

Auctioneer Chris Albury said: ”Not only was Frisky one of the most recognised cats in the country for over a decade, but he also became synonymous with one of the nation’s favourite soaps.

”It is one of the quirkiest lots we’ve ever sold – up there with one of Napoleon’s teeth and a lock of Jane Austin’s hair.

”The owner is going to donate some of the money to the Cat Protection League, of which he’s a great supporter.

”We’ve had a lot of interest worldwide from as far away as New Zealand – there’s some huge fans down there, where they call it ‘Corro Street’.”

The new owner of Frisky’s ashes is an as yet unnamed Coronation Street fan from Essex who won the lot on a commission bid.

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