Cat in supermarket

[Piggybacker]

Am I being ridiculous being bothered by this?

We have a supermarket, which is found in a small outside precinct just off a high street.

There is a local cat, who seems to spend a lot of time within the precinct and has taken to going into the supermarket. He has taken on this local celebrity status and it seems like every other day there are pictures of the cat sitting on produce (all sealed admittedly - the last couple I have seen is of him sitting on a large pack of tinned vegetables and of him lying on a gigantic - bigger than him- pack of flour).

I’m not a cat person at all. Don’t feel comfortable around them since as a child when sitting on a friend’s sofa, a cat jumped on me from behind and landed on my head. I can actually laugh about that now, but I am still jumpy around them.

Anyway, I see these posts of the cat and do a little shake of my head and generally move on. (I shake my head because I don’t see the appeal. And also because I thought, it’s a bit unhygienic allowing it on the food.)

But last week, I opened a couple of the posts to see that a couple of people had commented that it doesn’t seem right the cat is on the food. However most people shot them down with “the food is sealed”, “shop somewhere else”, “he only wants fuss” and “he is beautiful” etc.

It also seems from what I’ve read that the supermarket do nothing to shoo him out when he ventures inside.

So, oh wise cat and non cat lovers of MN, would it bother you? Seeing a cat on produce? And the shop not doing anything to discourage it?

As I said, I don’t have a love affair with cats so I don’t have a natural centre with this!

Is this Oscar the Tesco Cat?

My uncle used to work in a supermarket warehouse, the cat won’t be the worst thing that’s happened to the food. 😬

Yes, that would be perfect!

The only animals which should be in supermarkets are guide service dogs.

Just fixing your statement for you. Can I politely remind people that guide dogs for the blind or partially sighted are not the only service animals? Sorry, not nit-picking but it gets tedious at times having to constantly explain to people that service animals are not all guide dogs and having to quote the law and get into arguments about my rights because people think that because I can see my assistance dog isn't real!

Is this one of the big supermarkets?

I’m surprised customers are happy with animals in a supermarket!

Doesn’t surprise me that people get shot down online for voicing concerns. We all just want people to think the same way these days.

I think it should be service animals only but I would say that insects and people spread far more germs in supermarkets. I wash and peel fruit and veg and have been lucky so far.

Yeah, I wouldn't like it.

I wouldn't like to see dogs (excluding service dogs) strolling around either.

IMO, the only shop an animal should be taken to is a pet shop.

The supermarket needs to keep the cat out or care for it properly.
If is to stay then cat should be vaccinated yearly and wormed regulary and have access to fresh water and dry balanced cat food. Several places could be set up for cat to sleep in sun and a cage for over night. The cat should be kept healthy and enticed to spend most of it's time not of the food, not mixing with stray cats and not attacking bird life..

I can see how the cat is an attraction for many.

You’ve got it!

No I’ve not posted about this before!

Just to clarify I don’t think it’s a stray as I think the owner has been tagged in some of the FB posts.

I’m severely allergic to cats. It’s a very common allergy. I would NOT be impressed with cats in the supermarket and certainly not on the food. It makes me feel itchy just to think about it

I would too, and I love cats, but some people are violently allergic.

Ha, cross-posted @BitOutOfPractice . I'm sorry to hear that.

I adore cats and would be very happy to see the cat.
But for people who have a phobia of cats it's not good. So I think the supermarket shouldn't allow him in there.

For the people worrying about a cat lounging on the food, you've obviously never seen how the food is transported or stored before it gets on your shelves.

No you are not. I complained once in a shop that sold assorted household goods and (unwrapped) soft furnishings. And lots of nice soft things for kitty to lie on. No food then, but they do now.

I'm not a cat hater but I am allergic to dander in their fur so wouldn't want to buy, for example, a not wrapped, non washable cushion (etc) that the cat had been using as a bed.

The staff were not at all bothered just laughed it off really as "oh yes, she comes in all the time".

I decided not to make my purchase that day and have not been back.

Wouldn't bother me. Most food is sealed. Everything else is washable. You may as well ban kids (and some adults) from food stores too considering how many of them will pick their noses/scratch their arses/use the loo without washing their hands and then paw at the fruit and veg.

I love cats, and I follow a page of a neighbourhood cat that is very friendly and makes herself at home in various shops and offices around the area, but I too would feel very uncomfortable about a cat being in a supermarket.

From my own cats I know they'll have scraped their claws over the ground as they've covered their own poo or wee, plus the killing of rodents/birds, etc.

All the shop staff can do practically is to shoo it out every time it goes in, but with so many shops leaving their doors open nowadays, there's not much they can do to stop it.

Personally I despair of this modern rule that bread, cakes and prepared salads have to be kept uncovered to ensure that world + dog (+ cat) can cough, squeeze and sneeze their way through it before I take a bite (the news that Sainsburys won't be wrapping their baked instore bread was not welcome last week).

I guess it does explain how I lost some weight though.

I wouldn't like it. I also don't like it when people let their dogs slobber all over things but MN seems to think dogs in shops are fine.

I think there are people probably accessing the store that are far more unhygienic than the cat, so on that basis don't see the problem.
The store should embrace him as a mascot and give him a nice bed to sleep in and that might contain him a little and prevent him sitting on all the produce.

Having seen how filthy trolleys, warehouses, supermarkets and other people can be they hygiene issue wouldn't bother me. I personally love cats so I'd be really happy to see a cat in the supermarket. Obviously people with allergies or phobias will feel very differently.

My hospital has a resident cat, he's made the papers.

Honestly in storage there will be rats and all sorts running about, I couldn't get worked up about a cat.

It's probably one of the least grim things to touch it, from farm or production line to supermarket can be quite grim with all manner of people and animals touching them. Just wash your veg and don't lick the packets.

Wouldn’t bother me at all, the stuff I see humans doing so in supermarkets bothers me far more! Sneezing & coughing over veg & picking up bread rolls with their fingers!