A MUCH-LOVED cat, who attracted thousands of tributes when he died, is to be honoured with a bus named after him. 

Fiveways Wilf roamed the streets of Fiveways, Brighton, for nine years, melting hearts of people he met in cafes and shops. 

He even became a hit on the internet thanks to his Facebook page, where adoring fans would post their encounters with the ginger moggy. 

Wilf died last week, sparking hundreds of tributes from his fans in Fiveways and followers from around the globe.

Now the fluffy Persian cat loved by so many will be honoured by Brighton and Hove Buses, which is to name one of its number 46 buses after him. 

His owner Johanna Burley, 44, who adopted rescue cat Wilf, said she was delighted with the tribute. Mrs Burley, of Lowther Road, said: “We got the phone call on Thursday to say that next week one of the number 46 buses will be renamed Fiveways Wilf, which is outstanding really.

“It doesn’t matter if you have two legs or four legs, if you do something good in the community, you can have that feelgood factor.”

The tribute is rather fitting, as Wilf was a regular on the number 46 when he attended a vet in Hove. He sat on his owner’s lap, declining the cat box. 

The move comes after fans contacted the bus company to bestow the special honour on Wilf for how he made people in the area smile. 

Wilf also raised hundreds of pounds for charity Lost Cats Brighton by posing for Christmas cards and badges, bought by fans as far as Japan.

Fiveways Wilf, who will be replacing artist Rex Whistler, becomes the first cat to be named on a Brighton and Hove Bus.

Mike Cheeseman, marketing officer at Brighton and Hove Buses, said: “To  be considered to have a bus named after you have to be dead, and have made a contribution to Brighton and Hove. 

“In Wilf’s case it is a bit different in the way he was an internet sensation, and there have already beer 2,000 likes on Facebook at the suggestion of a Fiveways Wilf bus.” 

The tribute is among hundreds of goodwill gestures from fans, including an anonymous donor who paid for Wilf’s vet bills. 

Other honours on the cards are life-size paintings of Wilf on the walls of his Fiveways spots, which included The Flourpot Bakery, Beaumonts Estate Agents and The Fiveways Pub. 

Mrs Burley added: “At the end of the day it is a little bit of fun and he always went out in to the community to make people smile.

“Hopefully people waiting for the bus on a rainy day will smile when they see the Fiveways Wilf bus coming along.”