A GINGER tabby who became a familiar sight along with his owner Tim ‘Catman’ Wheeler, travelling across the south of England, has died.

Rescue cat Mr Pinky and Tim, who have more than 200 Facebook followers, visited Bournemouth in September last year, when Mr Pinky was presented with his very own Yellow Buses GLO smartcard.

Tim, from Tilehurst in Reading, attracted huge attention from shoppers, as he pushed 10-year-old Mr Pinky around on a reinforced shopping buggy.

They hit the headlines again after he and Mr Pinky were attacked by drunken beggars, whom the pair later made peace with.

The pair travelled thousands of miles every year, visiting attractions like Big Ben, Stonehenge and even riding on the London Underground.

Tim told how the Queen did a double take when she spotted the moggie in his buggy during a visit to Royal Ascot.

In Tintagel they met a mysterious bearded man who claimed to be Merlin and told Tim that Mr Pinky was “a sacred cat”.

And on another occasion the pair were presented with a beautiful emerald ring by a woman claiming to be a white witch.

Mr Pinky passed away at around 4pm last Monday prompting dozens of tribute messages from his Facebook fans.

Tim said: “I knew it was going to happen. I am just glad that he died in my arms.

“There were so many messages, tributes and emails that my phone crashed and lost its memory.”

He hopes to adopt another rescue cat called Frankie within the next few days – who is the spitting image of Mr Pinky.

“I hope to be back in Bournemouth with Pinky 3,” he added.