Helensburgh cat George is 'feline' the love on Facebook

George the cat has become somewhat of a local celebrity with his antics regularly attracting comments online, some from concerned residents worried the pesky pet may have strayed too far from his home.

However, the furry feline is now a fully-fledged social media star after having his own page set up on Facebook, so that his growing fanbase can track his daily adventures.

Owners Elizabeth and Dennis Royal, who moved to Helensburgh from Clynder in 2009, picked up George from a rescue home in Paisley five years ago.

Daughter Jackie Hood said: “Their beloved cat died and they didn’t want another, but we thought it was good for them to have a companion animal particularly now my dad, who is 90, has dementia.

“George gives him a lot of pleasure and is something for him to focus on as he is housebound.

“For the first few years George was just a normal cat - a bit bitey and aloof in the house.

“However, about a year ago people started taking him to the vet as they thought he was a stray, or abandoned, or lost.

“There was the odd post on the ‘Helensburgh Community Opinion’ page along the lines of “does anyone recognise this cat?”

“A few months ago, the vet called again to say someone had brought George in. Mum went to get him and the very next day the vet called again. George had just gone around himself and gone in to say hello!”

George’s jaunts have brought him many admirers, with other pet owners in the town commenting on his flirtatious charm.

And while not all of his exciting escapades are successful, that certainly doesn’t stop him from trying.

“Apparently, he gets on the bus to go to Rhu, he also got on a primary school trip to the safari park and they had to stop the bus and boot him off”, said Jackie.

“He goes into the Tesco garage daily to ‘purr-use’ the special offers, he spent the day at the pipe band championships in Hermitage Park, he waits at the bus stop outside the house whenever a bus is due to say ‘hi’ and he popped into the Argyll Bar for a pint last Sunday night! He gets everywhere.”

George’s page – George the Cat – has almost 300 likes just days after being set up, and the friendly moggy has captured the imagination of his hometown.

Jackie added: “Eventually I put a post up thanking everyone for taking such an interest in George, but he was a very much loved cat with two owners and people did not have to take him to the vets thinking he was a stray. A polite way of saying leave him alone! It has all snowballed from there.

“He is really quite a character and brings my mum and dad a lot of pleasure.

“There was quite a lot of chat on Facebook about him getting his own page so I thought it would be a bit of fun. The reaction has been overwhelming. Everyone knows him!

“He remains grumpy and unaffectionate in the house, however, very funny.”