Cat that became Premier League star is homeless tabby named 'Kenny'



A Premier League football match was brought to a standstill after a stray cat wandered into the stadium and instantly became an internet sensation.

The grey and white tabby first warmed up on the touchline at Anfield as Liverpool played at home against Tottenham Hotspur- even strolling past Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish.

The cat then nipped on to the pitch and wandered around Tottenham’s penalty area for a few seconds near goalkeeper Brad Friedel, 40.

Paws in play: The tabby pitch invader makes a late dash into then penalty area of the Anfield pitch

Scoring a cat-trick: The playful puss takes its time before deciding to wander towards the touchline

Four-legged friend: The cat held up play between Liverpool and Spurs for around a minute before makings its way off the pitch

It even briefly sat down on the turf, much to the amusement of the 44,000 fans inside Anfield.

Play was stopped for a minute, while a burly steward came onto the pitch and as fans chanted, ‘A cat, a cat, a cat’.

The grey and white tabby was then released on the streets outside the ground after the 0-0 draw, a club source said yesterday.

The source said: ‘The cat has constantly been seen at Anfield, Monday to Friday, often in the car park.

‘It’s a regular visitor. It’s been here for years, but this is the first time it’s got in the stadium.’



Within minutes of the cat’s trot on to the pitch at Anfield it became an internet hit with at least two spoof Twitter accounts quickly set up claiming to be the Premier League’s newest star.

The ‘official twitter of me, the Anfield Cat’, @AnfieldCat has attracted almost 25,000 followers.

But yesterday the cat was revealed to be nameless and living wild in the run-down streets around the Liverpool ground.

Family affair: Former Liverpool steward Darren Eden believes the cat which graced the Anfield pitch is the offspring of his own pet, Pako (pictured)

Mr Eden said his own pet, named after ex-Liverpool assistant manager Pako Ayestarán, bears a remarkable resemblance to last night's furry pith invader

Darren Eden, 45, said he regularly put out milk for the cat, which from now he will call ‘Kenny’ after the Liverpool manager.

He said he believes Kenny to be the son of his pet cat, Pako, to which it bears a marked resemblance.

Mr Eden said he was shocked when he saw Pako’s ‘baby’ bounding across the famous Anfield pitch.

He said: ‘My son was watching the match in the pub and he text me saying that our Pako’s baby was on the pitch.

Fur play: Tottenham goalkeeper Brad Friedel looks on at the furry intruder, while right, Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish seemed oblivious to the cat's darting run towards goal

No hard felines: Two Liverpool stewards escort the cat from the pitch as the game continues

Not the first: This black and white cat also dashed across the Anfield pitch back in 1964 when Liverpool played Arsenal

Media star: The cat predictably now has its own Twitter feed as social networkers looked to make the most of its moment

‘I turned the television on and couldn’t believe my eyes.

‘I think Pako will be very proud of his baby’s cunning getting into the ground.’

Mr Eden, a martial arts instructor, used to be a steward at Anfield during the Rafa Benitez era in 2005, and named his pet cat after ex-Liverpool assistant manager Pako Ayestarán, who he got to know while working at the club.

The cat is not the first to grace the Anfield pitch during a game.

In August 1964, a black and white cat ran the length of the pitch at Liverpool’s ground during their game against Arsenal, in what was the first game to be shown on BBC’s Match of the Day.

Meanwhile bookmakers William Hill have opened a book on which will be the next animal to bring a Premier League game to a halt - and make a Dog the 6/4 favourite.

‘Many hard tackling players have in the past been compared with animals, but it is rare for a real animal - other than club mascots- to invade the pitch.