PETALING JAYA: Being asked to move away or evicted from a premises is not something to be taken lightly. If people are not comfortable with eviction, imagine if an animal was asked by a local authority to do so.
That being said, is it true that a cat was given an eviction notice by a city council to move out of a library?
VERDICT:
TRUE
In 2016, a cat named Browser was given 30 days to relocate from a library he had been staying at by the local council in White Settlement in Texas, United States.
The cat was adopted and brought into the White Settlement Public Library from a local shelter in 2010 to fix its rodent problem, and later, he became a community fixture.
But in June 2016, the White Settlement city council passed a motion, proposed by councilman Elzie Clements, that gave Browser 30 days to relocate. It was reported that Clements and fellow council member Paul Moore spoke against the cat, citing allergies and a pending renovation of the library as reasons for his removal.
However, many at the meeting spoke in favour of Browser. And more support poured in from Browser - with over 700 people signing a library petition calling for Browser to stay, a change.org petition pleading the same cause garnered over 12,000 signatures and a Facebook supporting Browser set up with many comments from supporters around the world.
Not too long after the meeting, a special session of the town council voted unanimously to reinstate Browser.
According to ABC News, White Settlement mayor Ron White said since the original motion to remove Browser, he has received more than 1,500 emails in support of Browser staying at the library. He said the emails came from many parts of America as well as other countries, including Australia, Canada, Iceland, France, Germany, England, Guam, Malaysia and Singapore.
White also added that as far as he’s concerned, Browser has been promoted to “Library Cat for Life.”
“Browser is still employed and will be as long as he wishes to continue his duties as mascot and reading helper for the children at the library,” White was quoted saying.
Sadly, Browser passed away due to natural causes earlier in September, a month shy of his 16th birthday.
In a social media post, White Settlement city wrote: "Browser brought delight to patrons and employees over the past decade and a half with his playful and curious nature, often cozying up to people while they read and worked.
"On behalf of the entire library staff, past and present, we would like to thank all who went out of their way to visit Browser, play with him, and remind him how good of a boy he was. He lived a full and joyful life that was filled with friends."
Like Browser found a home (and job) in White Settlement Public Library, perhaps this article is a sign for you to get a cat (or a dog, or a cute animal) as a pet. If you need a reason to get a cat, here is a cool trivia - did you know that studies showed that cats have evolved to communicate better with us? (Read: https://www.thestar.com.my/
References:
https://www.theguardian.com/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/
https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/
