Anger as funds raised by Gosport community to commemorate beloved cat Tilly with statue not paid
Police are investigating after the artists who created a memorial to Gosport's beloved 'Tilly the Cat' were not paid after a fundraising initiative.
Tilly the Bengal cat was something of a local celebrity in Gosport before she was tragically hit by a car in October 2023 at the age of two. Her Facebook page Tilly’s Gosport Adventures documented antics such as the feline going into local shops and even visiting the local police station, where she was embraced as an honorary “Police Cat”.
In the wake of her untimely death, fans of the feline created a memorial and laid flowers in Gosport town centre, and a fundraiser was launched to pay for a plaque or statue of her.
Owner Caroline Oakes commissioned US-based artists Remy and Paul Hoggard to create a bronze effigy of Tilly. The pair are accomplished “sand artists” and also created a sand sculpture of the cat. The effigy has now been sent to Caroline, but she claims that the artists have not received the payment which was so generously raised through donations. Addressing followers on social media, she said the news was "very upsetting". It has since reported the incident to Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary. A Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary spokesperson confirmed: “This is being investigated by police. We are speaking to the parties involved and our enquiries continue.”