FELIX the cat will be keeping a watchful eye over Huddersfield Railway Station’s visitors.

But she’s got her eye on vermin rather than commuters.

Felix is the first station cat at Huddersfield for at least 30 years and she’s about to start work on keeping pests to a minimum.

Angie Hunte, the stations’ team leader, said that while they don’t have a problem with pests, the 30 staff decided to bring tradition back and get a station cat.

Angie said: “We got Felix when she was about nine weeks old and she’s been here about five months, but we’ve been easing her into station life.

“She’s been on walks round the station with the guards and has been getting used to the noise in the ticket hall.

“We let her out at night but now she’s going out more in the day.

“But we want people to know she’s a working cat, she’s here to catch the vermin so we’d ask people not to feed her so she can actually do her job.”

Felix gets paid in cat treats provided by TrasnPennine Express and has, so far, been spoilt and fussed over by the station’s team of 30 staff.

“She was this little bundle of fur when we got her,” Angie added.

“We thought she was a male cat and we had a name the cat competition in aid of Save the Children and everyone suggested a name.

“Felix was picked out and then about three weeks later we realised she was a girl, but we decided to keep her name.”

Felix has already caused a stir at the station – commuters have spotted her already and thought she was a stray and reported her to station staff, only to be reassured she was one of the team.

Angie, who has worked at the station for 17 years, doesn’t know when the station last had its own working cat.

“At one time most stations had their own cat to catch mice, it was a tradition,” she said.

“I’d say it might be 25 or 30 years since there was last one at Huddersfield, perhaps longer.

“Stations had them to keep vermin down, because it’s outside you do get them. There might be a few round the bins so she’ll be tasked to keep numbers down.”

It’s to be hoped that Felix fares better than the Downing Street cat Larry.

The tabby was brought to No 10 to tackle the rodent problem, but reports suggested Larry was taking a nap when a mouse appeared at a recent prime ministerial dinner.

The Prime Minister said in June that the cat had caught three mice, but Larry is alleged to have become close friends with Maisie, the cat who lives at the nearby St James’ Park keeper’s cottage, and spends a lot of time in the Royal Parks.

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