SHANGHAI: An airport in China has won massive applause on social media for raising three homeless cats and letting them stay in a designated area so that passengers can see and interact with them.
The airport praised for “being warm” is Lanzhou Zhongchuan International Airport in Lanzhou, northwestern Gansu province.
The three civet cats are a family, including Sangbiao the father, Cuihua the mother and their daughter Cuiguo which was born in June, as reported by news portal The Cover.
Their cattery is a glass house located near No. 58 boarding gate and is nicknamed as the airport’s mouse control office. The airport regularly updates on social media the daily life of the members of this “office”, the report said.
Many passengers take pictures of the felines, with some clapping hands – though through the glass – with the cats.
The cat house is equipped with a fresh air system, a water dispenser and a cat climbing frame. The airport designates employees to care for them and regularly take them out to “patrol” the premises so they can implement their duty: catching mice.
In the early morning every day when passenger numbers are low, an airport employee will let out the two adult cats for a short period to “patrol” a fixed area.
Sangbiao, who is called the director of the mouse control office, and his wife Cuihua, the deputy director, are mainly responsible for checking and catching mice in places such as conveyor belts, kitchens of major canteens and storages.
According to the airport, there has been no recurrence of rat infestation on its premises since they adopted the cats in the beginning of this year.
The airport no longer needs to frequently apply raticide which emits a pungent smell.
Sangbiao and Cuihua were previously stray cats on a construction site where a new terminal of the airport was built. They stayed near the terminal after the new building had come into being.
In the second half of last year, airport employees noticed that rat infestation was controlled because of the two felines. They decided not to drive the cats away but to feed them at a designated place.
The two cats went viral on mainland social media after some passengers shared their cute videos online, calling them “officials of the airport’s mouse control office”.
Leveraging the online fame of the felines, the airport adopted them earlier this year. It gathered name proposals for the two cats from social media and built a glass cat house for them.
Sangbiao moved into the cattery in April after being sterilised and vaccinated and also underwent procedures to expel parasites.
Cuihua gave birth to their daughter Cuiguo through a caesarean section at a pet hospital in June. She and the kitten were later united with Sangbiao in their new home.
The news has received a huge response online.
“I expected the airport to either drive away or completely ignore these stray cats. Instead, they provided them with cosy beds, fresh food, and even a custom glass enclosure. Well done, Lanzhou Airport,” a blogger said in her video, which garnered 44,000 likes.
Another internet user commented: “The airport should be given a bonus point for being warm towards and caring small animals.” - South China Morning Post
