Banksy’s billboard cat removed as meaning of his London animals revealed

Exclusive: secretive artist trying to raise a smile with pelicans, elephants, monkeys, wolf, goat and cat

A big cat by Banksy appeared briefly, stretching in the morning sun, on a bare advertising hoarding on Edgware Road in Cricklewood, north-west London, on Saturday. A few hours later it had gone, removed by contractors who feared it would be ripped down.

The anonymous artist known as Banksy, who confirmed the image was his at lunchtime on Saturday, also promised a little more summer fun to come.