Stray cats showing up at raves, gigs and pubs now have own merchandise

Celebs pulling in punters with a club appearance is nothing new. But did they ever have so much fur?

At venues in Coventry at least, the glitterati wear whiskers these days.

It began when two stray cats made city venues their home, becoming social media stars thanks to the incongruous sights of tail and turntable, pint and paw.

While one shows up at gigs and rave nights, the other is a bit more pub than dub. But each now has his own range of merch... and visitors flock for a glimpse of these meeow-vers and shakers.

Murphy was first spotted living beneath a bush before wandering into the car park of The Old Windmill pub in the city centre, "rake thin" and in need of care.

Now a permanent resident, he has become a firm favourite with customers.

"We've had people who've never been in the pub before, but have seen him on social media," said the venue's Peter Dunkley. "They come in and the first question is 'where's Murphy'?"

Across town, Fargo is a well-known figure at Fargo Village, the creative hub after which he is named.

Regularly spotted around the site's shops and bars, he too has become an attraction in his own right, mixing among ravers and drinkers.

Fargo Village staff have set up an Instagram account in an effort to track down his owner, and it has attracted a loyal following of fans eager to keep up with his daily adventures.

"Loads of people come here just to see the cat," said Bernie Blossom, bar manager at Village venue The Box.

"He's such a darling, we've all fallen in love with him."

Fargo first appeared around the site in October, Blossom said.

"We were all outside the venue during Halloween and this black and white cat just kind of appeared, and started hanging out," she explained.

"Then over the next few months we'd see him at raves and late nights in The Box."

And by the sound of it, Fargo just can't get enough of the vinyl...

"The cat's been coming to us for well over six months now," said Alun Roberts, owner of Just Dropped In record store.

"He started coming to some of our gigs, and would plop itself on to one of our seats."

Fargo, however, is discerning.

"Some of the noisier gigs, some of the punk gigs, he's not so keen on," Roberts said.

"He loves a bit of folk, a bit of ambient - [he's] not keen on drumming and stuff like that.

"Customers come in just to see where the cat is."

Blossom said she had been searching for Fargo's owners, attaching a paper collar to him.

"We saw him more and more and more over winter, until we kind of deducted that he might not have an owner because he was so dirty," she explained.

Sarah Friedlos, owner of Beadlebop Design print studio said she had taken Fargo to a charity to check for a microchip, but with no luck.

She also feeds him on a regular basis.

"He comes in here, has a good old scoff, and then a sleep and goes off for a bit," she said.

"I had a few people in this morning who were just standing in the shop and pointing at something," she added.

"I was like 'can I help you?' because I just forget he's there."

A nickname has since emerged.

"We do call him Six-Dinners Sid because he gets fed in the record store, Beedlebop and The Box," Blossom said.

Staff are launching a range of merchandise in order to pay for the cat's vet bills and wellbeing.

Jo Taylor from the Village's Indie Mart said mugs, key rings, prints and badges were all being produced, using artwork created by Martha King Slaye.

"We've had him checked over, but he'll need injections," she said.

"He was neutered so he had an owner at some time," she added, "but in the six months he's been around he looks so much healthier."

"He's so friendly with everyone, he's a joy to have around."

Back at The Old Windmill, Murphy merch is raising money for a good cause.

Cat mugs sold in his name have raised about £80 for the Coventry Foodbank project "and there's more to come", Dunkley said.

There are plans for how punters may start making donations to the RSPCA, with the venue acutely aware of animal welfare since its feline resident arrived.

"When he first moved in he hadn't been chipped or neutered, so that's all taken care of," Dunkley said.

And it's proved mutually beneficial.

"As far as we're concerned," Dunkley explained, "Murphy does our marketing, and we pay him in food and accommodation, and the customers love him.

"It's like hanging around with somebody who's really famous."

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