TEXAS – A Fort Worth suburb has evicted its beloved library sentinel — a top mouser whose name is Browser — because a disgruntled city employee wasn’t able to take their puppy to work, according to a local report.
A disheartening 2-1 vote among White Settlement city council members finally ousted the former shelter cat from its cherished position of six whole years at the White Settlement Public Library, where it kept pests at bay and young readers company.
“We’ve had that cat five years, and there’s never been a question,” stated White Settlement Mayor Ron White, telling the Fort Worth Star-Telegram a city employee took an issue to Browser because they were not allowed to take their pooch to City Hall.
“That cat doesn’t hurt anybody,” White went on to say. “The council just went out and did this on their own because they don’t like cats.”
The cat vote was just introduced under new business in the Tarrant County city where about 16,000 live.
Councilmembers Paul Moore and Steve Ott sponsored the “relocation of Library Facility cat ‘Browser’” on June 14 shortly after the library tried to advocate for its feline friend on Facebook.
“Browser the library cat loves to read and wants you to read, too!”
The next week, the White Settlement council meeting attracted a sizable crowd speaking in support of Browser — even those allergic to the chubby tabby, according to the Grizzly, which is a weekly publication in White Settlement. Despite the allies, the council voted 2-1 for booting the cat.
“City Hall and City businesses are no place for animals,” Elzi Clements stated at the meeting, later noting she likely “doomed” her re-election campaign.
Browser now has until July 14 to find himself a new home.
The city may reconsider its fateful decision at the upcoming July 12 meeting, but if that falls through, White may take the controversy to voters.
“We have an election coming up in November,” White explained to the Star-Telegram.
If White Settlement is seeking precedence in other municipalities, a library over in Pine River, Minn., is also home to a cat also named Browser. The feline has been a library fixture there since 2002.
Spencer Public Library in Spencer, which is located in Iowa, was home to Dewey Readmore Books until his death at age 19 in 2006. His stint as resident cat inspired the famed book titled “Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World.”
