Court battle looms over support animals (UK)

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It might be interesting to see how this turns out:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-61596623

Wow - thanks for sharing this. I shall keep be keeping an eye out for this where possible.

Unfortunately as someone who has had up to 11 cats (5 currently), I can see why supermarket bosses would be troubled with someone with a cat on their shoulder when you consider the prevalence of cat allergies being at least twice as common as that of dogs. There would be greater susceptibility of an allergy attack (e.g. acute asthma) for people with a pet allergy if an animal was situated on an individual's shoulder than being on a lead on a building floor.

Also consider the heightened risk of toxoplasmosis, as even the most miniscule traces of feces on a cat's paw coming into tactile contact with food (bread, fruits etc.) or food packaging could lead to such a related food-borne incident that would result in exorbitant lawsuits and fines incurred by the supermarket in reflection with the stringent regulatory framework of food and drug safety. Even the most individually responsible people would not be able to convince them in this case.

Irrespective of the outcome of this convoluted court case, I have sadly deduced that it will not bode well at all.

Yes the considerations aren't all on the side of the man with the cat, and I can see why the supermarket bosses didn't want to let them in. I sometimes wish we could go back to the days when they kept the food behind a counter and a shopkeeper would hand it over. When you think about it, having shelves of unpackaged food that the public are free to handle isn't the safest way of going about selling food, and I marvel that we seem to get away with it so well. But people don't much like all these blister packs, and there's some support for having more traditional "loose" food that customers put into paper bags. Probably better for the planet. Life is complicated.

Tricky case. What laws do the shop have to obey and just how essential is this cat on his shopping trips?

I can see both sides. Sainsbury's can make a fair point a cat or indeed any pet can ease anyone's anxiety but you don't see everything insisting on brining their pet shopping with them.

The guy can also argue that it is important to him however proving it is another matter.

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I suspect it'll hinge on whether or not he can get a member of the "great and good" (i.e. a posh shrink) to say he needs the cat with him. Whether or not he actually does is another matter entirely.

I think he doesn't need it. He's a middle aged man and only recently got a diagnosis. How on earth has he been doing his shopping for the last several decades before his diagnosis?

I think he's just bringing the cat with him because he likes cats and nothing more. The actual support it provides seems to be superfluous.

I mean half way down the article they're training a "support pony" on a metro train. I think this whole "support" animal stuff has just been highjacked now by people who enjoy animals. No autisitc on earth needs to bring a horse with them on a train unless they're just an autisitc who likes pushing everyone's buttons while hiding behind their diagnosis.

It did get rather funny about the examples of support species, though I felt that was more of a point in favour of allowing these things. If it's not a dangerous animal then it would probably brighten up a few people's day to see something a bit different. I don't want to sit in judgement on how much of a help the cat might be, I don't know enough about the situation. It'll be interesting to hear what they say when they've taken in all the evidence and arguments.

It definitely be interesting. I feel there will be a bit of a push back coming soon though about the type of animals allowed.

I've heard good things about assist-ponies/miniature horses. They're pretty sturdy, for people who need extra support, and can be trained, unlike most cats.