An artist and musician have collaborated to create a new song to celebrate an iconic feline character in a Dorset town.

Catherine 'Cat' Owen is an artist from Weymouth going under the name the Raggy Rat who has penned the lyrics to a new song about beloved Dorchester mascot Susie the cat.

Susie, a three-year old cross-bred Siamese cat rose to fame around November last year when she was seen going as she pleases through Dorchester town centre, particularly into shops in Trinity Street and South Street.

Dorset Echo: Her popularity soared and soon a Facebook group was set up so that fans could track her whereabouts, which has now spread globally to more than 6,000 fans.

Fears rose in December when Susie's owners announced that they were moving to Hastings and taking Susie with them, however her original owners gave up ownership to their daughter, Jenny Graves, who has since taken on care for the curious cat. 

Catherine has already been involved with the story of Susie, and created postcards to celebrate her which has raised money for Weymouth based cat charity, Feral Cat Care. 

Dorset Echo: Catherine Owen with her new postcard to honour Suzy the cat

The song, The Dorchester Cat, references Susie’s appearance and adventures in locations across the town, such as eating treats in the Potting Shed on South Street, as well as the extensive media coverage she has seen in papers, radio and television.

It also delves into how people are searching for a glimpse of her in the town. 

Catherine composed the song with help from Weymouth-based musician and Wey Valley Academy music teacher Ed Hintze. Ed set up the Dorset Community Choirs in 2008 where Catherine is a member and the pair have written songs together in the past.  

Dorset Echo: Catherine said: “I knew Susie had turned up to meetings with the Dorset Singing Choir at the United Church before and so I popped down there with my postcards, sold a few, and thought about a project.

“The message in the song is that Susie is well-loved and adventurous. It’s about telling her story in another way.”

The pair got together to compose the song, and wanted to keep the theme light, such as a song you would find in a musical, or one that would be sung by children in schools.

“We thought it would be a fun song for community groups to sing in local or school choirs,” Catherine said.

The song was launched at an Easter concert by Dorset for Singing raising funds for the #WillDoes charity at the United Church on South Street in Dorchester, and again the following evening at a meet in St Aldhelm’s Church. Catherine then uploaded the song to her YouTube and Tik Tok accounts.

@raggyrat #CapCut #dorchestersusie #thedorchestercat Here’s a little song by myself and #edhintze @Ed Hintze about Dorset’s coolest Cat. Recorded live in Weymouth at #dorsetforsinging easter concert. #foryoupage #catsoftiktok #famous ♬ original sound - Raggyrat

It is not known at this point whether the song will be released onto major music streaming services such as Spotify.

“It would be nice to get a recording of the song with a choir and see what happens,” Catherine added.

The artist spoke more about people’s reaction to the song so far.

She said: “People have been very nice, and have told me that the song is sweet and enjoyable, it’s just another way to celebrate her.

“Susie is not the first cat to be noticed for doing her own thing around town- a Streetcat named Bob went to the movies.

“The fact that people nowhere near Dorset can connect to her is so nice to see.”

Susie's owner, Jenny Graves, said: "We loved hearing Susie’s song. The fact that she is bringing joy to Dorchester is such a positive thing.

"I played it to Mum and Dad when we visited them in Hastings over Easter and they thought it was fantastic," she added. 

Susie’s story looks set to continue, as Catherine has been workshopping with young people in People First Dorset to collaborate on a Susie the cat picture book that they are hoping to release in the future.