pumpkin the cat is banned by tescos shoppers boycott wtf ?

[littlepaddypaws]

london tescos express has banned a cat from it's store, it wanders in, naps and sits on tills, loved by some customers and staff not so much others.
some shoppers are boycotting the store as a result of the ban.
now i'm an animal lover but i wouldn't want animals in food shops, over to you folks what do you think aibu ?
sorry can't post link, but it's in metro newspaper but the cat is rather cute.

I like cats, but their fluff goes everywhere and I wouldn't be keen on putting my food where one had planked its arse.

I adore cats, but I do recognise that not everyone does, and some people have allergies. So much as it would brighten up my Tesco's shop to see a lovely kitty on the till, I can understand why they have done this.

I'd be more likely to go to a shop that had a cat. Shame he's been banished!

Having a cat there, especially one as cute as that, would make the Tesco’s my shop of choice!

YANBU, I'm not a fan of cats and I'm allergic to boot.
Definitely wouldn't be shopping there and would be staying away!

We have a Tesco cat and he is well loved, I wouldn't be happy if he was banned.

Stop being so uptight, your food is all packaged, the cat won't contaminate it.

Good luck trying to ban the cat, I bet it will outwit them and get in anyway!

I adore cats and I think all supermarkets should have a resident one.

I wouldn’t shop in a store that lets an animal clamber over stuff

shops allow assistance dogs, quite rightly, but they aren't scrambling over goods, sitting on tills and the like, i hate the thought of 'normal' dogs in shops too,
don't think tesco bosses fret too much because a few people boycott the shop though.

I adore cats but I wouldn't feel able to use that shop as my son has a pretty severe allergy to cats and they aggravate his asthma too.

I have 5 cats all of whom I adore, but I don't want a bloody cat laying about where I'm buying my food. I also think it's incredibly rude to put people at risk who have allergies.

I’d definitely a cat-added in Tesco’s! It always cheers me up to find a shop cat. They’re very common in Japan and NYC bodegas and somehow people struggle in those places struggle on.

ginger you can your cat to plant it's arse on your kitchen work tops that fine, but it's not for me, and thanks for your concern but i'm not up tight, i'm too laid back on most issues actually.

If you do like cats and shops, get yourself on the bodegacatsofinstagram page on Instagram. An account for resident cats in US corner grocery stores (Bodegas).

I'd be more likely to use a shop that's got a cat. The foods all packaged except fruit/veg, which a cat isn't going to find either edible or a comfy spot.

I love shop cats. And pub cats and dogs too. Always think they create a friendly atmosphere.

My local co-op (a large one) hosts a cat who lives in a house opposite. He commandeers parking spaces and is allowed to sit in the foyer but he doesn't attempt to venture further into the shop. He's a legend and loves the attention. The shop received one complaint and the manager told her the cat was welcome. Sometimes if he's carrying too much chonk the owner puts a customised hi-vis on him saying "do not need me".

I love cats but wouldn't like them in a food shop. Isn't there a library nearby that Pumpkin could use?

We have a Tesco cat and he is well loved, I wouldn't be happy if he was banned. Stop being so uptight, your food is all packaged, the cat won't contaminate it

What about those of us with a cat allergy?
I don't expect a random cat to be roaming the aisles or plonking its arse on the conveyor belt or whatever it does in there.
Somewhere like those cat cafes that seem to be the in thing, I can stay clear of.
Doing my weekly shop though, you don't expect them round your feet there.

Weird, as so many people have dogs and cats in their homes and kitchens, and so many insist on taking their dogs into pubs/restaurants where other are actually eating, not just buying packaged food. Don't get it!

Animals are allowed in shops, just not in food prep areas

Just alot don't allow them in by policy, there it's no law to prevent it

Weird, as so many people have dogs and cats in their homes and kitchens

Yes, and if I know someone has a cat then I'd know to not go.

Our nearby Tesco Extra often used to have birds flying round (I think changing the entrance doors put paid to it though)

Nasty little winged shitting feckers. I'd have welcomed a Resident Tesco Cat ..........until you walked down the Seasonal Aisle to find the cat calmly disembowelling a sparrow

Personally as a cat owner I wouldn't mind seeing a cat in a supermarket, but I agree it's not good news for people with allergies.

Our Tesco’s full of pigeons.. id rather a cat.

Allergies are an issue but the size of a Tesco vs how far cat dander can travel airborne makes it probably a fairly small risk. It’s also something other people (me included) deal with daily for other allergens.. nuts, pollen, dust and for me Labrador dander always brings me up in hives and flares asthma but most service dogs (besides one hearing poodle) I’ve met are labs.. I’d rather they weren’t so I don’t have to strip off after bus journeys with my skin crawling but they’re not always avoidable.. cats roam wild too so I doubt they’re always avoidable if you were really reactive. Maybe I just live in a catty place.