Felix The Railway Cat

‘Geoff claims not to like Felix,’ says Michael Ryan, ‘but everyone knows he loves her more than he lets on.’ And Felix knows it too.

‘We’ve all grown to love her,’ adds Rachel Stockton, who’d named Felix all those years ago. ‘We’d all be heartbroken if anything happened to her.’

The team wouldn’t be the only ones. Felix has touched the lives of so many customers too – not least that of Mark Allan, the man who runs her famous Facebook page. So successful has it become that he’s actually been given his own official pass by TransPennine Express. His lanyard reads: ‘Personal Assistant to the Senior Pest Controller’.

He still doesn’t want a cat though: ‘Felix is the only girl for me.’

That’s as it is for Angie Hunte, too. ‘She’s always been special,’ she says. ‘I love her to bits. I can’t imagine being without her. She’s grown with me from a baby and from the first day I held her.’

And how very, very much that kitten has grown in the years that have followed. From being just a playful ball of fluff in the palm of Angie’s hand to becoming the senior pest controller, Felix has had quite a journey. Yet, somehow, she has taken it all in her confident, supermodel-strutting stride. She’s an independent lass at heart, is Felix, and that spirit has always seen her through her many adventures.

The TransPennine Express passenger charter reads: ‘We are proud of our staff and you can expect to be greeted with a warm welcome and receive exceptional customer service.’ And Felix, the railway cat, is certainly an exemplary employee.

So look out for her, next time you’re there. She might be hiding by the bike racks, or on duty at the desk. She might be over by Billy’s garden, or sprawled right across your path. Obviously, you’ll be the one stepping round her. Remember: she is Queen Felix, after all. ‘She does whatever she wants,’ says Chris – and that’s as it should be. For Felix is a station cat; she’s part of history.

For her family of colleagues – who are really more like friends – her fame has not changed her. That lively, playful, disdainful and loving cat they see every day is still just as much a part of the team as always. Five years on, Felix continues to make it a pleasure for them to come to work, whether their alarm is going off at 4.45 a.m. or they are facing a night shift with its long, but no longer lonely, hours.

‘I think everyone likes Felix,’ says her colleague Adam Carter. ‘Having her around makes the place seem a little more homely and friendly; it makes it a nicer place to work. She’s a symbol of that.’

‘She’s Felix,’ Angela Dunn says simply. ‘What would we do without Felix?’

Illustrations

When Felix arrived at Huddersfield station, she was just eight weeks old.

She was too tiny to venture far – spending most of her time snoozing in the back offices.

Felix soon started to take up a bit more desk space …

But while initially she may have been more of a hindrance than a help to the job at hand, Felix eventually became an integral part of the team.

After several years of hard work, Felix earned a well-deserved promotion to the role of Senior Pest Controller.

Team leader Angie Hunte: ‘Felix has always been special. I love her to bits. I can’t imagine being without her.’

Dave Chin, the maintenance man, a.k.a. ‘The Cat Whisperer’.

Andrew McClements, who formed a close bond with Felix when he joined the Huddersfield team.

The cat flap that was installed for Felix (but which she refuses to use).

Felix guarding the entrance to the station with Terry.

Felix, with her colleague Andy Croughan, draped in the livery of TransPennine Express.

Felix has many fans amongst the customers at the station, including Pauline and Mike Dyble who made a special visit to see Felix as a treat for their 55th wedding anniversary.

The Fairy Bricks charity created this Lego Felix when she raised over £5,200 by ‘running’ 5k.

Acknowledgements