Missy the town hall cat causes a right mayoral stink

LONDON: As town hall fat-cats go, you would think that Missy the moggy would spark less controversy than most.

But Tewkesbury’s official town cat – and “morale officer” – is at the centre of a council row over calls for her to be kicked out of her position.

The campaign to evict Missy is being led by Karen Brennan, mayor of the British town, who says the cat is distracting staff and could be a health and safety risk.

Now a special town council panel has been tasked with deciding whether the cat should stay.

Missy has been heading to the council’s offices almost every day since last year.

A “meet the team” page on the council’s website features a picture of Missy at a desk with the title: “Morale officer and town cat.”

But Brennan has questioned whether staff should be petting Missy and cleaning her bowl rather than doing their work.

The mayor took issue with the smell of cat food and suggested visitors might be put off if they have cat allergies.

Brennan said: “An office is somewhere for business to be transacted and we don’t need a cat around – there are issues of health and safety, insurance, security.”

But Missy’s supporters say she is good for morale and pointed out that two former town clerks and a former mayor were allowed to bring their dogs to the office.

A councillor, who asked not to be named, branded the row “nuts”. He said: “The council should have better things to do. There are so many things we should be doing.”

Brennan said she had tried to resolve the matter informally, but was forced to follow a set procedure after a worker complained.

Missy’s owner, who lives nearby, has no problem with the cat’s council role.

Twelve councillors are set to take part in the discussion on whether to evict Missy.

It is thought the issue was raised in a letter from an asthmatic councillor who is allergic to cats.

Councillor Chris Danter said: “People have brought up the fact that previous staff were bringing in their dogs, but they go home at the end of the day.

“With the cat you never know if it is coming in or if it is going out, if it will find somewhere else to sit, if it wanders around it will set the alarms off.

“Cats are their own people. That cat doesn’t belong to us. I have nothing against the cat but for the practicalities of the town hall, it is not on.

“It does live locally, it belongs to someone. Really they shouldn’t be encouraging it to that extent. It is the cost to the town hall that worries me. Maybe we will get them a goldfish instead.”

Town crier Mike Kean-Price said he had encountered Missy only once in the town hall, but had experienced the havoc rogue animals could cause to civic life. He said: “I have only seen the cat once, but pets in town halls breaking burglar alarms can be a problem.”

Fellow councillor Andy Smith said he was still undecided how to vote.

He said: “There’re bigger things to worry about than a cat.” – Daily Mail