A SCOTTISH council leader has intervened after a cat was banned from a town’s local Co-op supermarket.
Locals have been outraged after Mo the cat – who has been described as a “local legend” and a “pillar of the community” – was banned from the supermarket in Newtongrange, Midlothian – where she was frequently seen napping, watching shoppers and wandering the aisles.
A petition was even set up to fight back against the ban – which apparently came following a complaint to the Co-op head office. Currently it stands at nearly 2000 signatures.
But now, Midlothian council leader Kelly Parry has told The National that she, too, opposes the ban.
The SNP councillor, who is a regular visitor to the store and “a bit of a cat lady”, took to the Whats-On In-Newtongrange Facebook group to make her objection known.
In a comment she described to us as “tongue in cheek”, Parry said: “As Council Leader of Midlothian I'm shocked and appalled at the treatment of Mo, and I fully back the campaign for #TeamMo & I've of course signed the petition.”
She added: “I visited earlier today, and Mo seemed to be enjoying the extra attention!”
The opposition to the move from Co-op has been resounding in the community.
One Facebook user reacting to the news said: “As far as I’m concerned, she made the Co-op. The Co-op didn’t exist until she decided it did.”
Another local said: “Mo is our honorary village mascot! I’m pretty sure environmental health won’t do much unless they find him asleep on the bananas lol he’s such a snuggly boy!"
The petition organiser added: “Let’s face it, Mo has become a Co-op institution. In fact, some people have even claimed they’d rather share an aisle with Mo than some of the more distracting human customers.
“You know the type—the ones who treat the self-checkout like it's a high-stakes gambling game, taking five minutes to figure out how to scan a bag of carrots, while the rest of us are just trying to get home before dinner burns. But Mo? Mo is a peaceful presence.”
She added: “Mo isn’t just any cat—she’s a local legend. Whether she’s napping on a shop seat like a tiny, fluffy queen or watching the shoppers hustle by with a serene look of 'I’m far too cool for this', Mo has been the heart and soul of the Newtongrange Co-op for years.”
A Coop spokesperson said: "With the exception of assistance dogs, animals are not permitted in food stories. Co-op adheres to the highest standards, and takes its responsibilities towards food safety extremely seriously."
