Chloe walks around on a lead with her owner, Ian Fenn.
Thanks Cinders. 
Nice cat thoughâŠ
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Too nice to be dragged around a supermarket.
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Youâre welcome Mups.
Disability rights lawyer Chris Fry is representing Mr Fenn in a case against Sainsburyâs under the Equality Act.
âLife with Chloe makes Ian less anxious and he has fewer âshutdownsâ when he is with her. She reduces Ianâs sensory overload and enables him to feel more independent,â Mr Fry said in a statement about the case.
âFor example, he has been to the cinema with Chloe more times between January 2022 and May 2022 than he had been without her in the previous 33 years.â
âIanâs case is important to him, and other people with Autism Spectrum Disorder, depression and anxiety, but also encourages the courts to provide guidance for service providers, employers and landlords,â he added.
âIt has potential to remove conflict from everyday situations for disabled customers and for staff alike.â
Mr Fenn, of Tooting, south London, says he has been taking Chloe out with him for about a year.
He has owned her for five years after he adopted her from a cat rescue centre in Canning Town and estimates she is 12 or 13. Chloe obviously trusts him proof that cats can be trained.
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Neither have I, ok, perhaps it was a daft thing for me to say LOL
We donât know how his Autism affects his life, because all people with mental illness have different problems. His cat helps him stay calm but it must be scary for the cat moving through the shop with many other people pushing trolleys.
I feel sorry for this man but wonder whether autistic people are given any help to assist their lack of ability to cope . If we donât understand the illness & help them deal with their problems it must be hard for them to have a normal life & I am sure that many people would object if they see a cat in the shop
. I am sure the cat would love to stay home , but does this mean the man may become isolated ?
Mental illness seems to be an ever growing problem , but if we canât treat it I donât think we should have to change the rules that everybody else has to live by.
No nor do I.
We saw this in the pandemic when people who had anxiety didnât have to wear a mask .
As if it makes a difference .
Before everybody jumps on me I do have empathy for anyone so desperate to need the support of a cat before leaving the house.
However if this person is unable to enter a supermarket without a cat on his shoulder or strapped to his chest âŠwouldnât it be better to grocery shop online.
I say this for hygiene reasons a dog would be at floor level away from the majority of food and perishable goods ,however a cat on the shoulder/chest⊠hairs would drift down over the food.
Even on the floor a cat could be the cause of the commotion in a busy supermarket full of trolleys.
Iâve also have to admit to having the whatever next feeling .
As has already been said âŠa tiny pony or maybe a miniature goat.
Peacock anyone?
Well if you have a mental illness or disability you must accept that there are things you can no longer do, or are allowed to do. Thatâs just the way it isâŠ
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Oh but the bbc wonât be having none of that
Why didânt he invest in one of these? The cat is secure, safe, and mainly out of sight. Iâm sure I have seen people carrying these in shops. 
In general - cats do not like noise and crowds so - however much sympathy I have for the man - I have double that for the poor cat. To sue Sainsburyâs - or any other supermarket - borders on madness. It is just greedy lawyers lining their pockets!!
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Better yet â Google âhacksaw cat carrierâ!
Errr, somehow Todger, I donât believe Mr Fenn would be interested in that DIY job! 
Quite right it should be banned. Utterly ridiculous. I was joking earlier when I said what about a support Parrot, but this is even worse!
Assistance dogs are trained carefully from a young age. They seem to understand and accept their duties and in the right hands, donât get phased - not that Iâve ever seen anyway.
I donât believe Cats, Peacocks, and other such animalâs minds work in the same way as a dog thatâs had 2 years training for the job.
I think itâs very unfair and even irresponsible to just expect it to do everything the owner wants without any specialist training - and they profess to care about the animal.
I donât care what anyone says, I donât believe a Peacock can think like an assistance dog. Iâd certainly like to see a demo.
There used to be a woman street beggar near here, quite a scary individual who always looked rather aggressive.
I heard the cashiers in Wilkinsons talking about her recently, they werenât amused because she was taking it round the store and they werenât happy about itâs behaviour. It looked like she had suddenly put one of those little yellow assistance dog coats on the pooch, and was wandering round Wilkoâs with it.
Personally, I donât believe for one minute that dog was a trained working dog, because if so, it wouldnât have been going along sniffing about amongst things on the shelves, and trying to go up to people. Genuine guide dogs and such, are dedicated and never rootle about along the shelves or try to approach people. This was the same woman I had seen a little earlier, begging outside Asda, and the dog wasnât wearing that coat then!
I am glad she didnât leave the dog tied up alone outside mind, but to put that coat on it and pretend was wrong.
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There was a viral video of an argument on a plane, whereby a woman was breastfeeding her baby in the seat. Everyone was adamant it was actually a cat, and the staff were called over. The woman became angry and threatened to sue if the staff removed the babyâs blanket to prove it was a real baby.
Turned out to be a lynx.
A taxidermied lynx 
This was her âemotional support animalâ that she was actually physically breastfeeding.
There are some very disturbed people out there .
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Exactly! I would otherwise offer my deepest sympathies. But taking legal action over this little episode makes me want to ⊠GRRR
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