Defib, 16, has lived at the station since he was a kitten, but management wants to rehouse him amid concerns he could be run over by ambulances, reports Marco Marcelline

Defib, 16, faces being sent to a new home

Over 10,000 people have signed a petition urging the London Ambulance Service (LAS) to keep a much-loved 16-year old cat at Walthamstow ambulance station, where he has lived since he was a kitten.

The LAS has argued Defib, who was rescued by staff as a stray kitten, has had “several near misses” in being run over by ambulances at the busy station on Grove Park Avenue.

But staff have voiced their anger and upset at the “cruel” and “unjustifiable” move, with one launching a Change.org petition that has attracted over 12,000 signatures in less than 48 hours.

Speaking to the Echo on the condition of anonymity, the petition starter said Defib (short for defibrillator) had become a core and valued part of the team. They said: “He’s part of the staff, people go to the station to specifically visit him. They love him. Defib is a loving, gorgeous cat. He’s a little bit needy, and loves cuddles. He also makes a meow that sounds like an ambulance siren.”

The Echo understands that management had attempted to rehouse Defib several years ago, but following staff pushback it was decided that he could stay as long as he was kept secret from the public.

Reasons for moving Defib also include health and safety concerns for staff with “severe” allergies.

The petition starter called these reasons “nonsensical”, adding: “He’s been around for 16 years and no-one has died from a cat allergy. Most people with cat allergies only get triggered by cat saliva, and if they are having a reaction they will just need an antihistamine. Using this as a reason is idiotic.”

Defib sitting on top of an ambulance car

They also criticised the concern that he could wander into the street, stating that Defib was “inside a lot of the time” because of his age.

Accusing the station’s management team of hypocrisy, they said: “Several members of management bring their dogs to the office at various locations around London. Other police and fire stations have dogs, and therapy animals are allowed into stations so why can’t we have Defib?”

According to them, management has threatened to leave Defib with Battersea Dogs and Cats Home as a “last resort” if staff won’t personally house him before Christmas.

As well as living in the station, where he spends much of his time, Defib has a small hut in the station’s back garden where a mural of him was painted last year.

Defib had a mural painted of him at the station last year

Walthamstow MP Stella Creasy has also shared the petition online, and in a post accusing LAS of giving Defib a “no fault eviction”, she said: “It’s hard to see why [LAS is rehousing him] given he’s lived there for 16 years happily and helps staff cope with a stressful job.”

One local, commenting on Facebook, wrote: “Presuming local management are not too fond of cats then? Insensitive and cold hearted springs to mind. From someone who was a healthcare worker on critical care during Covid I cannot express enough the trauma I endured but decided to get a therapy cat and I can truthfully say it saved my mental health and possibly my life.”

An LAS spokesperson told the Echo: “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.”

You can view and sign the petition here

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