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Safety vest-sporting feline, a fixture of the Annex, moves on

Safety vest-sporting feline, a fixture of the Annex, moves on

Safety Cat, a house cat in Toronto's west end, has moved out of the Annex, but his legacy of promoting road safety will not be forgotten by residents in the west end neighbourhood.

The black and white cat roamed the Annex in a reflective harness and became a visual reminder for neighbours to be safe and visible to cars on the streets.

He became a neighbourhood fixture since his arrival in 2013. Most neighbours and passersby never learned his given name, Scratchy, but instead labeled him Safety Cat for the orange safety vest he wore.

The cat became so well-known that when his owner, Isabel Duchesne, decided to move, she wanted to alert his following.

"I had some inkling that Scratchy was a local hero of sorts, but I had no idea of the extent of his popularity until recently," she said. "I decided to put up posters so that people would have a chance to say goodbye and wouldn't wonder what had happened to him."

Duchesne said she only found out recently Scratchy was moonlighting as Safety Cat.

Whenever she was on the street with the feline, people would stop and tell her how much they appreciated the cat and his commitment to safety. She heard stories of a cat wearing a safety vest in the Annex from people she didn't know. And when the poster went up, a local newspaper called her for an interview.

Everyone who spoke about Scratchy referred to him simply as Safety Cat.

The origins of Safety Cat

The cat she would know as Scratchy arrived at Duchesne's Barton Street door in the summer 2013 as a stray. She welcomed him into her apartment and vowed to keep him safe. Initially, she was too nervous about him getting hit by a car to let him roam the street.

"If I had my way he would be an indoor cat, but having arrived at my door as a street-savvy stray he flatly refused to stay inside," she said.

So she strapped on a reflective safety vest that fit the cat like a harness. Every morning she put the safety vest on her cat, and eventually the cat learned the routine. He would wait for his safety vest on the front porch each morning before taking off for the day to explore the neighbourhood.

"I really believe that Scratchy's vest has preserved a number of his nine lives," said Duchesne.

Hanging up the safety vest

Duchesne is leaving the Annex — and Toronto — to study abroad in the UK. While she's gone, Scratchy will live with a family in a more spacious north Toronto neighbourhood.

His new home will have an enclosed backyard, and thus there will be no need for a safety vest.

But the memories of the cat known as Safety Cat will remain in the Annex.

The legacy of Safety Cat

Online, there have already been many tributes to the cat. His photo was even appropriated for a traffic safety campaign in the state of Georgia, urging people to slow down in construction zones.

Many are heralding Safety Cat as a much-needed reminder in a bike- and pedestrian-heavy neighbourhood to be mindful and visible to vehicles. In fact, some argue Safety Cat may have actually made the neighbourhood safer, causing traffic to slow down when passing through.

"It's hard to say whether it's the reflective stripes and neon colour that catch the eye, or simply the novelty of a cat in a vest. Regardless, cars slow down...or brake suddenly, depending on how spatially aware Scratchy's feeling that day!" she said.

Scratchy is also leaving more than just memories. The cat lost many safety vests on various adventures in the area, a tactile reminder of his alter ego, Safety Cat.

"It makes perfect sense to me that so many people love my cat as much as I do. He's an exceptionally personable cat so he has lots of friends in the neighbourhood," said Duchesne. "And he looks great in a safety vest so photos of him spread quickly."