A tom cat who has gained a legion of online fans risks being made homeless under proposals to close hundreds of rail ticket offices.
Eight year old George “works” at the busy Stourbridge Junction station in the West Midlands as its “senior mouse catcher”.
The station, run by West Midlands Railway, is one of up to 1,000 across England where the ticket office is at risk of closure.
Ginger George spends most of his time in the station’s ticket office, keeping station supervisor Ian Tomlinson company. The friendly feline makes regular appearances on the platform, much to the delight of passengers.
George has a bed in the ticket office, where he sleeps overnight. He has also built up a loyal fanbase of 61,400 followers on social media network Twitter since joining in May 2020.
George even has his own range of merchandise – including key rings, coasters and calendars – which helps raise funds for local charities.
There is no word yet of what will happen to George if the ticket office is forced to close.
On Wednesday, when the mass closure programme was unveiled, George merely tweeted: “Friends. Train ticket closure consultation has begun”, with a link to how people can have their say.
