Arthur is Diane’s cat in The First of Nine.  Arthur is based on one of my cats, namely Stobart.  He has not always been a Stobart though.

When we took him from the Cats Protection as a kitten, we were told he was a girl.  He also had a brother, who was white and tabby.  The kittens were named Nancy and Lee, after Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood.

They spent their first weeks in a hammock they created in the lining under the sofa.  When they emerged from hiding it was quite obvious that Nancy was a boy.  We persevered and called him Nancy but we could tell he didn’t like it.  He was then renamed Edward Stobart after the haulage firm.

Stobart is now 17.  He has arthritis in his back legs but apart from that he’s doing fine.