A cat in an Aberdeenshire village has officially joined the local primary school – and has even posed for his first class photo.
Wilson, a two-year-old tabby from Rosehearty, was adopted by the Innes family in May 2021 and lives with Julie, 39, Paul, 44, Hannah, 11, and Joel, nine.
Mrs Innes said he has a “great personality”, adding: “He’s really cushy. My daughter would hold him like he’s a baby and he would snuggle into her for cuddles, he’s very friendly.”
Well-known in the local area, Wilson who “just loves people”, does not hide from strangers.
If anybody comes into the family home he does not know, instead of running away and hiding, he will jump on their lap for cuddles.
At six months old, he started going out for walks and would follow people on their trails round Rosehearty, with people walking the feline back to his house.
Discussing his travels round the village, Mrs Innes said: “I’ve had to pick him up from the Brownies at the local church, I had to pick him up from the the local bar, the Davron, and got him from the butcher.”
Signing up for school
Wilson then started going to Rosehearty Primary School, where Hannah and Joel both attend, and when spotted, their friends shout to tell them that he has arrived.
Initially put out by the school staff, the young cat was so determined that he climbed in a classroom and the teacher, a lover of cats, let him stay and he snoozed the day away in the middle of the classroom.
Even during the ongoing strikes, Wilson has gone to school with teachers now letting him in.
Mrs Innes said: “He’s been in probably every class in the school. One day he actually went to PE.
“I’ve went to pick the kids up from school and I’ve had a phone call, or I get a message from the school now to say ‘Can you come and collect Wilson from reception?'”
During the recent school photo day, Wilson was in the building at the time and got snapped by the photographer wearing the headmaster’s tie.
“The bairns came home with their photos in the bag and a photo of Wilson, so I ordered a few of them,” Mrs Innes said.
The mum-of-two has even been asked how he is by people that she has not met before
So what does the future hold for Wilson, who is quickly becoming one of Rosehearty’s most popular local characters?
Maybe an Instagram page or a book discussing his adventures, Mrs Innes reveals.
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