A local authority has the purr-fect solution to dealing with fraught customers – Rodney the Council Cat.
Rodney, 13, has become a fixture in the waiting room at North West Leicestershire District Council's offices in Coalville since he sauntered in through the automatic doors at the beginning of October.
He wasted no time making himself at home, curling up on a warm, cosy seat and soon becoming a firm favourite with staff and visitors alike.
Steve McCue, the council's customer team manager, said: "The office building is nice and warm and it looks as though that was just what Rodney was looking for.
"Animal-lovers make a fuss of him.
"Those who aren't too keen just ignore him but most customers think he's wonderful.
"There are no complaints about Rodney – he can change people's mindset.
"Some can come in nervous or angry but, by the time they've seen him all relaxed, they become a lot more mellow."
The council has supplied Rodney a cat-blanket to mark his seat and to protect customers' clothing from unwanted cat hair.
One of Rodney's fans, Lynne Graham, wrote to the Mercury about him.
She said: "I would like to applaud North West Leicestershire District Council on such a simple but effective way to calm people visiting the Coalville offices and provide a talking point.
"I was both bemused and heartened to meet Rodney in the waiting area, friendly and contented in his environment.
"He did not limit his time with those who wanted his company and was aware of those who didn't want him around.
"The fact the staff are not shooing him away is indeed a fabulous reflection on the council in showing it has a heart – not what most believe in today's cash-strapped times."
Rodney's owner, Janine Widdowson, who moved to the area in August 2012, rescued him as a tiny farm-bred kitten.
She said he had always been adventurous, chasing other cats, foxes and squirrels and running roughshod over his canine housemate Rupert, a 10-year-old American shar-pei.
"We used to live near a primary school, of similar design to the council offices, and Rodney used to visit there, going in at the pupils' sleep time, so going to the offices could come from there," Janine said.
"With Rodney, there's no knowing what he's going to do.
"He's a real character – a bit Jekyll and Hyde – and he's been known to go to sleep in a parking space, expecting motorists to drive around him."
