Giant-sized Wemyss Ware cats, collected by King Charles, to form Kirkcaldy art trail

The first ever Wemyss Ware Cat Trail was formally launched at Kirkcaldy Galleries on Wednesday afternoon, giving a taste of what is to come in 2026.

The landmark project is being backed by the Kirkcaldy Lottery, which was launched last year by the Adam Smith Global Foundation to raise funds for initiatives to improve the town centre.

It is now looking for business to get on board as sponsors, and has opened the door to local artists to decorate the cat sculptures in their own unique styles in paid commissions.

The first two Wemyss Cats, decorated by Griselda Hill from the Wemyss Ware pottery, are now on display at the galleries. Many more have gone on public display from this week, and will be followed by additional giant moggies next year.

The Wemyss cat was chosen because of its Kirkcaldy heritage, and as it has a very recognisable shape and large surfaces that can be easily decorated by artists.

Edinburgh-based sculptor Andrea Porteous - best known for her large-scale work making film sets and props including for the Outlander series and blockbuster film Superman Returns - carved the oversized cat sculpture based on a somewhat smaller original cat produced in Kirkcaldy around 1890, which was borrowed from a local collector.

A mould was made from the sculpture. Now multiple replica fibreglass cats are being manufactured in a workshop on the outskirts of Edinburgh.

The project has been in planning for many months and, although it is by far the biggest and most costly Kirkcaldy Lottery project so far, it is expected to provide a great return for the town both socially and financially.

Dr Gordon Povey, general manager of the Adam Smith Global Foundation, said. “There are a lot of up-front costs, such as for the large sculpture, the mould and the cats themselves, but sponsorship will help offset some of these.

“We are keeping everything as local as possible and prioritising the commissioning of local artists for the work to support the local economy. The project will create a buzz in the town. Kids and families love these colourful trails, it is a healthy outdoor activity and there will be lots of great photo opportunities that will help promote the town in a positive way.

“We expect the trail to attract many visitors to Kirkcaldy, which will feed into local businesses too. At the end of the summer the plan is then to auction the cats, with the proceeds going back into the Kirkcaldy Projects Fund that has already supported 14 projects in the area.

"We know that there are many Wemyss Ware collectors that would love something unique like this, and a successful outcome will mean we can go on to even more ambitious projects in the future. We hope we can find a way to keep at least one of the cats on permanent display somewhere in Kirkcaldy.”

Each cat will stand over 1.6m tall and at least a dozen will form a unique sculpture trail spread over the Kirkcaldy area. Previous sculpture trails, such as the Oor Wullie Bucket Trail in Dundee, have been extremely popular - and the foundation is confident the Lang Toun’s cat trail will be a cultural landmark that will draw in visitors from across Fife and beyond.

The plan is to run the Wemyss Ware Cat Trail through the summer of 2026, with at least 12 cats on public display throughout the area. Each will be decorated by artists in their own unique style. It is hoped to have the sculptures displayed all the way from Burntisland to Dysart, if suitable locations can be found.

The trail will be complemented by an app and activities for families such as treasure hunts.

The cat sculptures are handmade from fibreglass, with special weighted bases. Local artists are now being sought to submit their designs for a cat sculpture, and for businesses and individuals to consider sponsoring one of the cats.

In late December, the foundation aims to match sponsors with the designs they like, and will commission the chosen artists to decorate one cat each. Design templates for artists and also details for sponsors can be requested from [email protected].

The large-scale public art project comes after the lottery helped to fund a host of murals across the High Street, all done by local artists, and culminating with the eye-catching painting of a young Adam Smith adorning a gable end in the east end of the High Street.

Wemyss Ware was first produced in Kirkcaldy by the Fife Pottery business, which was located in Pottery Street, in 1882. Their cat became an iconic shape and was decorated in many different patterns.

Few original cats survive, and those that do now fetch thousands of pounds at auction.

Wemyss Ware has many collectors, including King Charles III and Elton John - and the original can be seen in Kirkcaldy Galleries. The cat is also the logo of the Friends of Kirkcaldy Galleries.

Wemyss Ware was revived 40 years ago by the Griselda Hill Pottery in 1985 and it now owns the trademark.

Fittingly, Grisellda was asked to decorate the first two cats in traditional Wemyss Ware style to launch the project - the pottery is the exclusive sponsor of these first two cats.