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A friendly stray cat was on to a good thing when he picked the house of five students to lay his head during lockdown.

Now Sophie Buckley and Freyja Crisp have produced Stray: A Lockdown Story, an animated film to tell the heart-warming story of the cat who left his pawprints on their hearts - and to raise cash for Cats Protection, which has its national adoption centre in Haywards Heath.

Sophie, 23, who previously adopted a kitten from Cats Protection, said: “I’d seen him around but assumed he was one of our neighbours’ cats.

“Then one day, I came down to find him outside our backdoor, with one paw placed tentatively over the door frame.

Sophie Buckley and Freyja Crisp SUS-210616-094634001

“It was so sweet, both daring and shy, and he melted our hearts.”

Sophie and housemate Freyja, 22, later noticed he was having medical problems.

Freyja said: “We noticed he had problems with eating and what we thought made him quirky – his dribbling, noises, leaking eyes and nose - were possibly signs of infection.

We decided he needed to be checked out so called Cats Protection.

“Within a week we had to say goodbye.”

Cats Protection’s lead animator Rasoul Hudda provided guidance and input on the final work, which features a soundtrack from singer songwriter Fenne Lily.

Stray: A Lockdown Story is at youtu.be/aqya82nv1B4

Stray cat inspires short student film to help Cats Protection