WALTHAMSTOW: Funeral held for beloved stray cat (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

WALTHAMSTOW: Funeral held for beloved stray cat

12:53pm Monday 17th October 2011 in News By Joe Curtis

The funeral procession for Tetley the cat

PEOPLE came from far and wide to remember a much-loved stray cat who died this month.

About 50 friends of Tetley the cat attended its funeral on Sunday (October 16), with one mourner even flying in from Portugal to attend the New Orleans-style ceremony, which featured a Dixieland jazz band.

The famous feline, thought to be 17 years old, lived in and around Walthamstow Village, where a number of residents fed and cared for him.

Meeting at one of the Tetley’s favourite old haunts, The Nag’s Head in Orford Road, mourners formed a procession to the Vestry House Museum, where a memorial plaque will be placed in the garden.

Organiser and Nag’s Head landlady, Flossie Parsons, said: “It was a celebration of his life, it wasn’t a sad occasion. It was absolutely fantastic, I can’t explain how touching it was to see so many people there.

“At the museum green we released two balloons for Tetley that were attached to my partner's dogs. They flew up together and stayed like that high in the sky until we could not see them anymore. It was so special, we felt like he was watching us from every tree.”

Pub regulars later raised a glass for Tetley with a pint of ‘The Itinerant’ - a beer brewed in his honour. But as people remember Tetley, another stray cat seems to be finding winning the affections of residents.

Mrs Parsons said: “A cat started turning up at the pub when Tetley was ill and yesterday he stayed all day - we call him Big Bernard - maybe he’s here to keep us company now Tetley’s gone.”

People who wish to share their memories of Tetley can write in ‘Tetley Tales’, a book of recollections behind the pub’s bar.

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