The London Ambulance ditched a plan to rehouse the elderly cat from Walthamstow Ambulance Station after over 60,000 people signed a petition against the move, which was described as “cruel” and “unnecessary”, reports Marco Marcelline

An elderly cat that has lived his entire life at Walthamstow Ambulance Station has been saved from eviction.

A plan by management at the station to rehouse Defib, 16, who was taken in as a stray kitten, was met by an intense wave of backlash from staff and the general public.

Over 60,000 people signed a petition against the move, which was described as “cruel” and “unnecessary”.

But this morning, Daniel Elkes, chief executive of the London Ambulance Service (LAS) confirmed on Twitter/X that he would no longer be rehoused. He wrote: “I have listened to the views of the public and many of our staff and we have now agreed that Defib can remain at Walthamstow Ambulance Station. Defib is much-loved by staff at Walthamstow Ambulance Station and evidently, he has won the hearts of the public too.”

The LAS had previously argued Defib has had “several near misses” in being run over by ambulances at the busy station on Grove Park Avenue, and cited concerns for staff with “severe” cat allergies.

Reacting to the volte-face, the petition starter thanked their supporters on behalf of Defib, writing: “With all your help, love and kindness a decision has been made to let me stay in my beloved home with my amazing friends. Thanks so much for giving one small cat such a huge voice. I cannot express how grateful I am. Nose boops for all!”

Speaking to the Echo, the petition starter said they were overwhelmed by the online response: “I thought I’d be lucky to get 3,000 signatures in a week. I did think we’d win, because LAS is a public body and this is really embarrassing for them but I never thought it would go as far as it had and get over 60,000 signatures.”

Amid huge public support, Walthamstow MP Stella Creasy 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.”

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