What was so special about Hendrix the coastal cat?

Plans are afoot to create a statue of a cat who became a much-loved feature of a coastal town. What was so special about Hendrix?

"He always wanted to be outside," Hannah Chiarella recalls, adding: "Sometimes he was outside for two or three weeks."

But she did not need to worry too much when her cat Hendrix went on another adventure - his many fans would keep an eye out for him.

First on Tyneside, where he was often seen riding the Metro or hitching lifts on buses, and later on the beach at Saltburn in North Yorkshire, he became something of a local legend.

So much so, people now want to put up a statue in Saltburn in memory of Hendrix, who died aged 12 in September.

"I thought it was quite a nice idea because he did used to bring a lot of joy to people at the beach," Ms Chiarella says.

"I thought a nice memorial would continue bringing joy," she adds.

His father was a wild cat and Hendrix's owners first learned he had inherited an adventurous personality when he went missing from their home in Newcastle.

While searching for him, they found out everyone knew who he was and that he had a habit of visiting neighbours' houses.

When the family moved closed to Whitley Bay Metro station and later to Saltburn, Hendrix, who was named after Jimi Hendrix, again went about winning over the locals and visitors.

People would send Ms Chiarella photos informing her of Hendrix's whereabouts and she set up a Facebook page to keep everyone updated.

"We weren't as worried about him because we knew that everyone was looking out for him," she says.

Once in Saltburn, Hendrix made the beach his new hangout spot.

"He knew there were a lot of people there and he was going to get a lot of attention," Ms Chiarella says

He used to go to Saltburn Pier Amusements every day and owner Chelsie Oughton says he used the place as a base, with people travelling just to see him.

"He was charming and just really funny," Ms Oughton says, adding: "He was here every single day and people couldn't help but notice him.

"He was a beautiful cat, like a little legend."

But Hendrix was more than just a cute visitor - Ms Chiarella says he would also cheer people up.

"We used to get messages from people saying how they were sat at the beach, maybe feeling down, and Hendrix would just pop up," she says.

"It would be a nice part of his life, he helped people as well," she adds.

One evening in August 2020, as people were recovering from the first coronavirus lockdown, he strolled into an outdoor yoga class at Saltburn Valley Gardens and had everyone laughing almost immediately.

"Our teacher could hardly hold her 'downward dog' yoga position," Helen Raine from Redcar says.

"She was shaking with laughter as Hendrix proceeded to start moving on her mat with her, around her legs and arms and under her tummy.

"My friends and I have never forgotten that evening.

"It was just the good old laugh we’d needed after a long time in a strange year."

Hendrix died on 2 September, surrounded by his human family.

More than £2,600 of a £4,000 target has been raised online for his memorial statue, with hopes it would be placed on Saltburn's Lower Prom.

Ms Raine says Hendrix brought "a lot of joy to the town".

"A statue would be to Saltburn a little bit like what the Greyfriars Bobby statue is to Edinburgh," she said, a reference to the Scottish capital's much-vaunted Victorian terrier.

A spokesperson for Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council said the local authority "looked forward" to working with the community to find a suitable location and help them through the planning process.

"It's great to hear of this community initiative which celebrates the life of Hendrix," the spokesperson added.

Ms Oughton says having a statue of Hendrix would be "meaningful".

"He was a massive part of Saltburn and it was a privilege that he chose us to be friends with.

"People still come in and ask about him."

Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].