Fred is an adored family cat (now deceased) who slept all the timeon the ironing board, on the washing machine, on top of the fridge, on cars, and particularly on bedsalthough he took a little time off to sit on laps purring and to eat. Only after his death do Sophie and Nick discover that, by night, he was the Elvis of the cat-world, Famous Fred, the most famous cat in the world, with hordes of devoted fanswho give him a suitably raucous funeral.