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'Wanderlust' petrol station cat dies aged 15

Alex Pope
BBC News, Buckinghamshire
Pixie the Applegreen Garage Cat Pixie the cat sitting on a shelf full of chocolate bars. Pixie the Applegreen Garage Cat
Pixie would sit in lots of different spots, including the chocolate shelves

A family has been left "heartbroken" after its "wanderlust" fifteen-year-old cat, that made a petrol station its second home, died.

Pixie known as the Applegreen Garage Cat, had a following of more than 1,300 followers on Facebook, which documented her adventures at the petrol station in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.

The longhaired cat was frequently taken to the vets as people thought she was lost and in March 2024 she was captured and taken away when she was mistaken for being homeless.

Bex Hunt, her official owner, hopes plans for a painted image of Pixie on an electrical box outside the garage will be her "lasting legacy".

Pixie the Applegreen Garage Cat Bex Hunt holding Pixie, a white cat, they are both looking at the camera, Bex is smiling, with long hair and fringe, a white jumper, there are kitchen cabinets behind her. Pixie the Applegreen Garage Cat
Bex Hunt said Pixie liked to wander from a very early age

Ms Hunt said Pixie was put to sleep on 17 January after suffering from heart failure.

"We are completely heartbroken, we knew it was going to come, we assumed it would be this year, but it was really sudden and quick."

Her owner said she always looked scruffy, as she never cleaned herself and her favourite spot was sleeping in barbeque coals, so always came home "multiple different colours".

She added that tributes had been pouring in from all across the country and the US.

Pixie the Applegreen Garage Cat Pixie, a white chat, with a collar on, sitting on a counter in a petrol garage. She is looking downPixie the Applegreen Garage Cat
Pixie was described as her family as a "special cat" who was "one of a kind"

Ms Hunt, said: "Just knowing how much people cared for her deeply, it really warms our heart."

She said she lived her life to the "fullest" and "did everything she wanted to do - you couldn't control her".

Pixie the Applegreen Garage Cat Pixie the white cat, being tickled under her chin, with a hand on her, with sweets behind her. Pixie the Applegreen Garage Cat
Pixie was "known and adored by swathes of people across the county" her family said

Her owner set up a Facebook page about the cat after people would mistakenly post online about Pixie, thinking she was lost.

"We were getting fed up, so wanted to spread awareness that she did have a home - I never imagined I'd get this many people following her exploits," Ms Hunt added.

She planned to keep the page going as a tribute and said Aylesbury Town Council had given permission for an electrical box to be painted in her honour.

Pixie the Applegreen Garage Cat Pixie the cat lying in a box in a shop, the image is dark as she is nearly hidden. Pixie the Applegreen Garage Cat
Visitors to the Pixie the Applegreen Garage Cat would share photos of her in lots of different locations and spots

The tribute will include artwork of Pixie, created by Jo Beck, but the final design had not been formalised yet, Ms Hunt said.

"It will create a lasting legacy, it's amazing, it will be a great tribute to her and it's really exciting as even now, when we drive pass, we end up looking to see if we can see her and we still picture her there," she added.

"We loved her, she's missed, she lived her life to the fullest, a wanderlust cat until her last day."

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