Â鶹ԼÅÄ

Florence Nightingale, Alan Turing, Pebbles the cat. What do these unique figures all have in common?

Well, they all have statues dedicated to them.

Pebbles is a beloved cat that is regularly found wandering around the University of Essex campus.

Such is his popularity, the university has declared a Campus Cat Day - and a bronze statue has been erected in Pebbles' honour.

The black and white cat was first spotted by eagle-eyed students in 2010 and has since become a popular mascot at the university.

Pebbles is now 16 years old, but despite his old age is still regularly spotted roaming the campus grounds.

On the University of Essex's official Pebbles page, the black and white cat's motto is listed as "If I fit, I sit."

Craig Stephens, from the Students' Union says Pebbles "has brought a lot of joy to people's lives".

"The duck population diminished slightly when he was younger!" Craig admitted, "But now he's actually a really placid cat. He loves being stroked and played with."

As part of the first cat day celebrations, students were invited to share their favourite pictures of Pebbles, and cat-themed poetry was read.

"The day is all about having a celebration - and whatever people's reason for taking part today, Pebbles is bringing people together to have some fun," said Craig.

A spokesperson for the University of Essex said Pebbles is "still waiting for a building to be named after him, the Pebbles Teaching Centre would be good".