Assistant Chloe’s cat could get into a legal affair with her guide Ian Feng after Sainsbury’s refused to allow her to enter one of its stores.
A fan who is autistic and has trained the black cat to support him is taking legal action against the supermarket.
He says Chloe prevents sensory overload and should be treated as a guide dog or other aid designed to help someone with a disability.
During a visit to Sainsbury’s in Clapham, south London, in March, security and staff told Fan that he would have to leave the cat outside. After he complained, Sainsbury’s told him he would only allow helper dogs in his shops.
Chris Fry, who specializes in discrimination against people with disabilities and is suing Fan under the Equality Act, said: “There have been many cases of guide dogs being denied access to places or services, but in fact there have been none. no forensic investigation of what constitutes a helper animal if it is not a dog.
Hospitals, shops and hotel chains allowed Fenn, a South London product designer, to bring Chloe with him for help. The black cat is on occasion when he takes her to the shops and wears a fluorescent yellow jacket for a “service cat”. She usually sits on Fen’s shoulders while he walks.
“Chloe accompanies me to hospital appointments, GP and blood donation,” Fan wrote using Chloe’s Twitter on Friday.
“We have been to zoos and aquariums where biosecurity must be taken into account. We also went to other supermarkets. What’s so special about Sainsbury’s that you originally said I was welcome in any store?
Sainsbury’s said he was working with an environmental health team to see if there was a way for Fan and his cat to visit safely. The company claims that although Chloe may be well-behaved if she changes her policy, other cats can cause chaos and there is no way to check the animal’s level of training.
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Fan says that Chloe makes it easier for him to cope with everyday situations as a person with autism. “I get sensory overload in a busy environment and I tend to turn off. But with Chloe, I can focus on her, he told the BBC.
“She brings structure to my life, wakes me up in the morning, tells me when to go to bed. It’s hard to know how she feels about the relationship, but I feel like we’re already a team. “
A Sainsbury spokesman said: “We want to be an inclusive retailer where people love to work and shop and understand that some of our colleagues and customers may need support in our stores. At the same time, safety is our highest priority and our colleagues are trained to balance the maintenance of our high standards of food hygiene with the support of all our customers who shop with us. ”
“We are in contact with the local environmental health team to see if there are ways to help Mr. Fen visit our store without compromising.”
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