A cheeky cathedral cat stole the show when he decided to tuck into the Dean of Canterbury’s milk while he was live streaming morning prayers.
Tiger was seen hopping up onto a table before lapping up the milk as Dr Robert Willis told viewers about the gospel of St Mark.
Noticing the furry visitor, the Dean gave him an affectionate stroke and said: ‘Sorry, we’ve acquired a friend this morning.’
It’s not the first time the Dean has been upstaged by one of the four Canterbury Cathedral cats.
In May, Tiger’s nephew, Leo, disappeared under the Dean’s robes during a morning prayer sermon.
Tiger the cat interrupted Canterbury Cathedral’s livestream morning prayers to snatch some milk from Dean Dr Robert Willis’s jug
The Dean noticed the furry visitor and said: ‘Sorry, we’ve acquired a friend this morning’
In the livestream, Tiger is seen sauntering behind the Dean before leaping up onto a chair.
Glancing at the camera to make sure he is the centre of attention, the cat then steps onto the table and makes a beeline for the milk jug.
‘The first of my Hymns, which went into the hymn book into Hymns Ancient and Modern…’, the Dean continues, apparently oblivious to the visitor.
Tiger, spotting his chance, then starts sticking his paws into the milk jug and licking them, as he indulges in the white stuff.
Canterbury Cathedral tweeted the video with the caption: ‘Join Dean Robert – and Tiger – for today’s morning prayer from the gardens of Canterbury Cathedral.’
Tiger is one of four cats that call the cathedral home. He is said to have a ‘huge appetite’ and to love nothing more than lying in the sunshine
The cat once had to be rescued from the cathedral roof by the Dean after he disappeared for a week. A group of choristers cheered on the Dean from the choir house
The adorable cat also loves getting a belly-rub from visitors while he lies in the sunshine
A spokesman said Tiger is normally a ‘shy’ cat that ‘loves cuddles and a tickled tummy – ideally while bathing in the sunshine, which he can’t get enough of!’
‘He has a huge appetite,’ they told MailOnline, and ‘sneaks in to (the house) to finish every bit of food – or milk – he can find’.
‘While he often looks as though he is deep in thought we fear we have to confirm that he is not the smartest of the bunch (and most thoughts quickly turn to cuddles or food) but he is a true gent with the biggest heart so we forgive him anything,’ they said.
‘Sadly, he is also the most unlucky cat in the world and is always getting himself into scrapes – such as the time he went missing for a week and turned up on the cathedral roof and the Dean had to clumb up to get him down in the middle of the night with the choristers cheering on from the choir house!’
Tiger lives in the kitchen garden, they said, where he takes a ‘keen interest’ in watching maintenance and plants and vegetables being planted.
He’ll also sit and stare at the fish in the pond but is so gentle that he ‘never tries to catch anything’. Small birds and chickens are also known to sit next to him without fear.
The Very Revd Dr Robert Willis keeps a straight face and continues delivering his sermon as Leo hilariously disappears into his robes
On May 26, Leo the cat was seen strolling into the Dean’s garden before walking into his robes as he told viewers about the bible.
A cathedral spokesman said Leo is ‘undoubtedly the comedian’ of the place of worship’s four cats.
‘He has been enjoying making our daily broadcasts since March and, while he would be happy to be in every one, we have tried to include the others to prevent them getting jealous.
‘With more than 20,000 visitors to the Deanery and its gardens each year – and more than 1.5 million to the cathedral – he is used to being on show and, having been born in the Deanery and growing up here, he is very used to company.’
Pictured below are the Cathedral’s pigs Clemmie and Winston as they interrupt morning prayers along with one of the cathedral’s four cats. This happened on July 1
The cathedral’s pigs Winston and Clemmie also joined a morning prayers livestream on July 1.
Canterbury Cathedral’s online services have proved very popular during lockdown with its Easter Day Eucharist racking up more than 11,000 views.
The cathedral re-opened to visitors on July 4, and for services of worship on July 5.
Entry is free until July 12 and after that ,children will go free while adult prices will be reduced until September 2020. This is in celebration of its reopening.