Just as canaries were once used to indicate whether the atmosphere of a mine was wholesome, so a cat indicates if the atmosphere of a place is homely. The banishment of Humphrey from Downing Street in 1997 left the place feeling colder and emptier, a gap since filled by the placid presence of Larry. Now, as we report today, a cat called Mango has achieved celebrity by spending four years at Tesco’s in Tiverton, Devon. He has not been dithering all this time in the pet-food aisle, but specialises in the endearingly feline act of settling down to sleep. The rule is for him to keep to the foyer, but he has been spotted napping amid the displays of hand-warmers or garden bulbs. No doubt if a mouse were to attempt to wander in from Blundell’s Road, Mango might have something to say to it. But a cat, says the proverb, may look at a king; so Mango is well within his rights to check out the check-out.
