A set of six cat drawings by a feline artist are expected to fetch thousands of pounds at auction.

The drawings by Louis Wain, who lived between 1860 – 1939, will be a highlight at The Cotswold Auction Company's art sale in Love Lane on Tuesday.

Regarded in his day as a leading UK authority on cats, he later became president of the National Cat Club and was in demand as a judge at cat shows.

Wain was certified insane in 1924 – a decade after suffering a head injury in a horse-drawn omnibus accident – and spent the remainder of his life in psychiatric institutions.

Cotswold Journal: ‘Scenes from the Courts’ features feline characters starring as participants in a courtroom

This set of drawings are watercolour and bodycolour artworks that feature cats in a courtroom setting.

They are marked with the artist's signature and are expected to be sold for between £3,000 and £5,000.

Auctioneer Lindsey Braune said: "Louis Wain's drawings were a huge hit with the public nearly a century before cat videos took over the internet.

"They demonstrate humanity’s ongoing love affair with our cute feline companions, and the set of six we are offering in our next sale are sure to have buyers purring."

Cotswold Journal: ‘Scenes from the Courts’ features feline characters starring as participants in a courtroom

Wain's life was the subject of a 2021 film 'The Electrical Life of Louis Wain', starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the artist.

Other notable items in the auction include a late 19th century oil painting in the Pre-Raphaelite style, and three watercolour landscapes by George Arthur Fripp.

The six drawing cat set and other artwork will be part of The Cotswold Auction Company’s sale of Pictures, Antiques and Interiors at its Cirencester saleroom.

The auction will take place on Tuesday, May 21, and Wednesday, May 22, starting at 10am.

For people wanting to view the art in person, a public viewing is available on Saturday, May 18, from 10am to 1pm, and Monday, May 20, from 10am to 4pm.