A CAT that passed away after being hit by a car in Edinburgh two years ago could be immortalised with a statue, under new plans submitted to the council.
Hugo was well known among local people in Edinburgh’s west end, where he was often seen lounging about the streets.
Locals are aiming to commission a life-sized statue of the much-missed cat in the hope of bringing the community together and raising visitor numbers.
If planning permission is granted, it would be the 16th sculpture of an animal in Edinburgh.
Sculptor Alan Beattie Herriot, who created the statue of Wojtek the Bear in Edinburgh's Princes Street Gardens, has been earmarked to take on the commission.
It is understood that thousands of pounds have been raised by the community for the sculpture, which they hope to place on a wall in William Street with a plaque.
Hugo, an Arabian Mau, was owned by local woman Jane Rutherford who rescued him from Doha, Qatar when he was six months old.
During his life in Edinburgh he became well known in the West End of the city, where many people looked after him.
He was seven years old when he died in May 2023 after being hit by a car that failed to stop.
Rutherford, said: "I miss him dreadfully and still look for him on William Street when I'm on autopilot.
"So when I see the statue it will make me feel really happy because he was one in a million, he was a proper little character."
His death led to calls for a change in the law which would require drivers to report when they collide with a feline.
At present, motorists are obliged to tell police when they collide with dogs, horses, sheep, pigs, cows, and goats and notify a vet or the SSPCA, but not cats.
Rutherford, told the BBC that she feels it would be an appropriate tribute to the animal: "A cat is no less precious than a dog.
"We don't know how long he was there – ten minutes or an hour – in pain. I would love to see that change so other pets are not discarded."
It comes weeks after the First Minister denied a false story that the SNP was considering a ban on cats.
