London's Beloved Cat, Who Stays At Ambulance Station, May Face Eviction After 16 Years

A cat living at the Walthamstow ambulance station in London for 16 years is in danger of eviction. Fostered since a kitten, Defib has been adopted by the ambulance crew. However, recent changes in the management of the station cast doubt on his continued stay at the station. London Ambulance Service (LAS) has defended his transfer, saying he is being moved for his own protection and that some of the new staff are allergic to dander.

Defib has been popular at the Walthamstow NHS base where he was adopted by the ambulance staff. Some shift personnel say it calms them down during stressful moments, thereby pointing to him as an asset.

However, due to a change of management, there has been a reevaluation in his accommodation status, with LAS claiming that due to his old age and slow response, Defib had several scares with ambulances at the busy station, as reported in The Standard.

Worried about this development, more than 62,000 people have signed a petition pleading that Defib be allowed to stay on in the station. The petition highlights that to rehome an elderly cat would be an “unnecessary act of cruelty,” given staff members’ years of interaction with the cat, as well as the increasingly observed practice of implementing therapy animals at work.

Local MP Stella Creasy has also come out in support, calling on Health Secretary Wes Streeting to step in on behalf of the particular cat. As for the reasons for such a decision, she stated that it is “hard to see why” Defib should be moved after having a good life at the station, The Standard reported.

LAS has justified this move, saying that some of the new employees are allergic to cats and this poses a problem when working at the station. At the moment, they are actively searching for a new home Defib could be moved since the cat is already old and needs special conditions for further life. A representative explained to the British media outlet that they may be considering it as the retirement plan for Defib rather than a punitive measure.

“We hope you will support the staff in asking LAS to allow him to live out his remaining years in the place he has known and where he is loved,” LAS was quoted as saying by The Standard.