A beloved ambulance station cat who has lived on the premises for 16 years is being threatened with eviction.
The much-loved moggy, called Defib, was rescued as a kitten by staff at the Walthamstow Ambulance Station in 2008 and has lived there ever since.
But the feline is now being threatened with eviction due to ‘infection control/concerns’ raised after a recent change of management at the London Ambulance Service (LAS) – the NHS trust responsible for running the north-east London station.
Staff members have set up a petition calling for the public’s support to ‘allow him [Defib] to live out his remaining years in a place he has known and loved’ for the majority of his life.
Since being made public on Monday, the petition has garnered more than 22,000 signatures.
The much-loved moggy, called Defib (pictured), was rescued as a kitten by staff at the Walthamstow Ambulance Station in 2008 and has lived there ever since
According to the campaign page, staff believe rehoming such an old cat is an ‘unnecessary act of cruelty and not justifiable’.
It reads: ‘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.
One person took to social media to claim no allergy complaints had been received at the station.
Jessica Rogers posted: ‘So after 16 years, the station cat must be evicted due to ‘infection control/allergy concerns’ of which no complaints have been received. Please sign! [the petition] He’s the sweetest and cheers up hardworking frontline staff no end.’
The LAS told MailOnline the eviction is for Defib’s own safety.
It said that as the cat has got older, he has narrowly avoided being hit by an ambulance on several occasions.
The feline is now being threatened with eviction due to ‘infection control/concerns’ raised after a recent change of management (pictured: Walthamstow Ambulance Station)
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson 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.’