British TV cat's ashes sell for USD 1000: auctioneer

The cremated remains of a cat that appeared in the opening credits of Britain's longest running television soap sold for USD 1000 today, an auction house said.

The cremated remains of a cat that appeared in the opening credits of Britain's longest running television soap sold for USD 1000 on Thursday, an auction house said.

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For more than a decade, viewers tuning in to "Coronation Street" were greeted with a clip of Frisky the cat crouching on a pigeon house.

The tabby beat 5,000 other cats to get the part in 1990, and he featured in more than 1,000 episodes of the show before he died 10 years ago.

His ashes, sealed in a wooden box with a brass plaque, were put up for auction by the cat's owner and sold for more than triple the initial estimate, Dominic Winter Auctioneers said.

Frisky was a favourite with viewers and made numerous public appearances to raise money for charity, and the auction sparked significant interest.

"He seems to be really well known," Chris Albury of Dominic Winter told AFP.

The winning bidder, who was not present at the auction, also gets a collection of nine postcards showing Frisky being cuddled by Coronation Street actors and a certificate of authenticity.