A cat who has lived in an east London ambulance station for 16 years after being rescued by staff as a kitten is now facing eviction.
More than 15,000 people have signed a petition against feline Defib being forcibly moved out of the Walthamstow NHS base.
London Ambulance Service (LAS) has argued that he is being relocated for his own safety and that some of the new staff are allergic to cats.
But others have rallied to support the feline and local MP Stella Creasy on Wednesday urged Health Secretary Wes Streeting to step in.“Defib the cat facing a no fault eviction from Walthamstow’s ambulance base - hard to see why given he’s lived there for 16 years happily and helps staff cope with a stressful job,” she said.
“Perhaps Wes Streeting if you are feline the staff’s pain you could have a word with [LAS]?
The online petition against the move states: “For 16 years, Defib the cat has lived happily at Walthamstow ambulance station.
“A change of local management at London Ambulance Service means he is now under threat of eviction.
“Unlike so many cats in London, he was lucky enough to be rescued by staff as a kitten and has been adored by them ever since.
“The staff believe rehoming such an old cat is an unnecessary act of cruelty and not justifiable, especially in light of the recent popularity of therapy animals in business premises.
“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.”
A London Ambulance Service spokesman said: “We are looking for a worthy retirement home for Defib the cat.
“As he has got older his reactions have slowed and he has had several near misses in being run over by ambulances at the busy station.
“Additionally, we have ambulance staff with severe allergies, who cannot use the ambulance station during their breaks.
“We’re exploring some options so that he can go to a loving home that is more suitable for a cat his age than an operational ambulance station, and we are very much thinking of this as Defib’s own retirement plan from the LAS.”
