Pet cat
A supermarket has been threatened with a boycott for a very strange reason – because a pet cat had been banned from the premises. Pumpkin the cat was a regular visitor to the Tesco Express store, often resting on the checkouts and lounging around in store but will only be outside Tesco from now on.
Sadly, Pumpkin was banned from the store at the request of some of the staff members, who described him as a ‘hindrance’. In response, customers of the store in the east of the UK have decided to boycott it in protest, disappointed that they can no longer see their favourite feline while they shop.
Store manager Andrew Tabiner confirmed that Pumpkin is banned, and that cats should not be allowed in. He is often fed outside the store, and it’s suspected that he comes in because he enjoys the warmth. A spokesperson for Tesco said although they “love the little ginger cat who visits”, staff do encourage him to leave the store when he enters.
Social media debates
Local residents have been divided on the issue. Many have taken to Facebook to voice their unhappiness, but some welcome the decision on the grounds of health and safety. “I agree Pumpkin is a lovely cat, but I also agree that animals shouldn’t be in food shops” said one customer. Clearly, they have never played this video game…
Luckily, Pumpkin isn’t a stray, although he is very streetwise having been a rescue cat. According to his owner, Jo Harding, they live nearby to a row of stores including Tesco, and it’s the six-year-old feline’s favourite store to go in, saying that it’s “where he spends most of his time”. Pumpkin lives with seven other cats and dogs, as well as Jo and her husband, daughter and granddaughter, so it’s not as if he’s got no company at home.
Pumpkin isn’t the only cat to make the news recently. Other cats have made the headlines for different jobs and roles, some even being described as having a ‘sixth sense’. Do you have a pet that likes to hang out around your neighborhood? Let us know!
