Photo: Facebook

His name is Chester, and he's a celebrity. 

In some circles, at least. Chester the cat has become well known in the downtown area of Penticton in the past few years, visiting businesses and homes and specializing in mooching treats and cuddles off people walking home late at night. 

He got so used to wandering and making friends out of strangers that his owner Robyn Sylvester got tired of getting phone calls about him.

"I was getting all these people tagging me on the Penticton site asking 'Is this your cat?'" Sylvester said. "So that's why I started the Facebook page, so I didn't have to answer that question every day."

Chester's Facebook page now has nearly 400 fans, all of whom love spotting Chester in the Ellis Street area. He has become a community icon, known and loved by many in the neighbourhood. 

But before his fame, he was just a kitten adopted from the SPCA by Sylvester, roughly four years ago. 

"He was very friendly to people, and he would sit outside by our gate waiting for us to come home. Then he started following us around the block when we would go for walks, and then he would travel further and go and visit people, and then he just got more and more bold as he got older," she said. 

His independent spirit grew, and Sylvester let him roam more and more. He seemed to seek out people, and Sylvester started to hear stories about his escapades.

"One of the first ones was the guy that use to run The Mule," she said. "He messaged me and said Chester was hanging around with all the people after they closed, all the smokers in the back alley. And that's the kind of story I heard first, people would meet him when they were heading home from a night out. And he'd go home with them and snuggle with them all night."

Since then, Sylvester has heard countless similar stories of Chester finding a new home for the night, or making friends on the street. His Facebook group is full of photos of him in various people's homes and businesses. 

His popularity got to the point that he was benefitting a little too much from the kindness of strangers. 

"You can tell when someone else is feeding him that's for sure," Sylvester said with a laugh, referring to Chester's chubby stomach. "Someone's always feeding him."

Chester is known for what Sylvester affectionately calls his "resting bitch face," which belies his otherwise friendly personality, and a small chip in his ear that came from a fight with other cats when he was younger. 

Over the years, his independence has grown, which is hard for Sylvester and her family. As much as she loves Chester, she knows his lifestyle now is what makes him happy, and he always has a home to come back to when he needs it — as well as dozens of other fans in the neighbourhood who help take care of him. 

"He seems happy doing what he does. Who am I to argue? I can't lock him into my house, can I?" she said. 

She said anyone who comes across Chester is welcome to snap a picture and share in his Facebook group here, and should take advantage of the meeting.

"Grab a cuddle, because he's up for it!"

Photo: Facebook