By Daniel Hickey and Faye Mayern
Exasperated health bosses have asked patients and staff not to encourage a friendly cat that has made the NHS hospital her second home.
Bobbie, a four-year-old feline, has been visiting the James Paget University Hospital in Gorleston, Norfolk, for weeks and uses an underpass to get there from her house.
She has become a star on Facebook with more than 400 people following the ‘James Paget Hospital Cat of Love’ page.
The black and white cat has been snapped sitting on patient’s laps, underneath a Christmas tree and in the arms of an NHS employee.
However ‘Bobs’ – dubbed by her owners as ‘mischievous’ and ‘strange’ – may have found her luck has run out after the hospital asked people not to interact with her.
A spokesperson for the James Paget said: “We are asking our staff and visitors not to encourage the cat.
“While it is popular with some, there will be patients and visitors who may not want to have a cat in the waiting areas, for example, if they have allergies.”
They also said the site itself is not particularly safe for a cat, especially as some construction work is due to begin in the main reception.
Jenny Naili, 42, is one of the members of staff who finds company in Bobbie’s visits.
She said: “If I have a really bad day at work, I always try to pop to the front of the hospital to get a quick cuddle from her.
“She does really lift you up. And many of the staff too.”
Bobbie does have a home with two other cats and a dog but her owners said she had been known to use the underpass or lollipop lady to cross towards the hospital.
Her owners Jamie and Clare Bennett said: “She has learnt that she can get everything she wants from the James Paget hospital – 24-hour fuss, warmth and shelter.
“She goes home to get food and water but likes the life she has created and would hate to now be an indoor cat.”
Another woman who met Bobbie recently said: “She never begs for food – she quietly sits by the water machine when she wants a drink.
“Bobbie brings so much joy to the patients waiting in the long A&E queue. Everyone is so chill.”
Addenbrooke’s in Cambridge also has a ‘hospital cat’ – a fluffy ginger called Henry who has been roaming the cafeteria for years.
Pictures of Henry have also resulted in a 7,500-member Facebook page for patients and staff to keep up to date with his comings and goings.
