Legacy lives on for little Sussex cat who stole the hearts of a whole village

Little Morty was an explorer who made friends with everyone in Warnham near Horsham and died last week not far from his home in Friday Street.

Owner Sophie Pett Gallacher said: “He was a very well known character and was very much loved in our village, weaving in and out of people’s homes and lives.”

Morty made regular visits to the local pub with Sophie and her partner Guy. “Everyone has a tale to tell about him. He used to walk with us to the pub and often hang around ‘talking’ to locals afterwards,” said Sophie.

Morty – originally a street cat – came to Warnham as a rescue kitten from Romania four years ago and fast became friends with Sophie and Guy’s dachshund Aubrey often going on walks with them.

And now villagers are determined that Morty’s death will not be in vain and his legacy will live on. Sadly his demise was far from rare – a number of village cats have been killed on local roads.

"He was small but he made a big impact and we want his death to bring a positive change to our community,” said Sophie. “Friday Street has become a cut through and because people drive so fast down there many cats have been killed, some of our neighbours have lost more than one cat this way – it's mad.”

Villagers say that the problem has been caused by road changes at Broadbridge Heath causing Warnham to become a rat run for Crawley-Guildford traffic.

But a group of residents are now trying to get ‘no through route’ orders on key roads in the village to combat the problem. Campaigner Ben McMinn said: “A vast proportion of the traffic using the roads in Warnham has been directed to do so by GPS applications like Waze, Google Maps, Apple Maps etc.”

Sophie added: "I personally would like to see speed bumps down the road – Morty’s moguls. I've never known a place to lose so many cats through unsafe driving. We are so fearful that one day it may be a child that gets knocked down.”

She said she had noticed local roads becoming busier and busier in the last couple of years “but it has taken Morty dying for me to really get my head around what is happening in the village.”

M eanwhile, Sophie and Guy say they are grateful for the support and love they have received from villagers since Morty’s death. Many have taken to the village’s Facebook page sharing their memories of the little cat they took to their hearts.

One said: “So very sorry that you have lost your beloved pet. It is bad enough that we ever have to say goodbye but to lose them this way is just heartbreaking.”

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Another said: “Morty will be forever missed by all on Friday Street. He had such a great character, popping in whenever he felt like it, wandering on by when he didn’t!”

Sophie herself added: “Morty was only a tiny little cat, he didn't shake the whole world up but he's our little legend and he's shaken our world up.”