Postman spat … and a very fierce black and white cat
WHEN it comes to encounters with black and white cats, postmen are not generally left quaking in fear.
Quite the opposite – children’s TV character Postman Pat famously shared his adventures with such a moggie, his gentle feline sidekick Jess.
But a postman in Patchway, Bristol, is having a rough time thanks to Bella, a feisty domestic longhaired cat.
As he reaches the door, she rushes to snarl and claw at the letterbox, putting the poor postie’s fingers at risk of nasty scratches.
It has led to Royal Mail warning the cat’s owners, Matthew Sampson and Laura Lowe, that it will halt deliveries unless they control their pet or provide an outside letterbox to reduce the ‘level of threat’.
The couple say four-year-old Bella has never attacked anyone before but Mr Sampson, 24, admitted: ‘She does seem to dislike the postman. When he comes to the door she lets out a sort of growl. I’ve never heard a cat growl before.’
A letter they received from Royal Mail said: ‘We are experiencing difficulties in delivering mail to your address because of the actions of a cat at your property.
‘As a result, a health and safety risk assessment has been carried out and has determined that the level of threat requires actions to be taken to ensure the safety of its delivery staff.’
Mr Sampson, an insurance sales coach, said: ‘As it happens we are moving soon, so in the meantime I will sort out an external delivery box.’
The Royal Mail said that while around eight staff are attacked by dogs each day in the UK, it did not have figures for attacks by cats. A spokesman added: ‘We have appealed to the owner to keep their pet under control when the postman calls.’