Hannah Wong said the Liverpool ground was the “strangest place” she has been called to
Hannah Wong said the Liverpool ground was the “strangest place” she has been called to
A worker called to Anfield for her job said it was the strangest call-out she’s had. Hannah Wong, community engagement officer at Cats Protection, was called to Liverpool FC’s ground to help rescue a cat.
The stray was found roaming around Anfield after matches to eat fans’ leftover food. Red, who is a two-year-old domestic short hair, was of course named after Liverpool FC’s famous colour.
The lost cat was discovered by club staff after he was spotted hiding under the stadium’s stands. They then contacted Cats Protection, who were called to catch and rehome the hungry feline.
Hannah said: “The LFC ground is the strangest place we’ve caught a cat. We worked closely with the groundsmen to set up a trap for Red who had been doing his business on the pitch, although there’s no evidence he is an Evertonian!
“Red unfortunately wasn’t microchipped, so we’ll never know how he came to be a regular visitor to the ground.” Red was adopted by the Corrie family, who have renamed him Tommy after Liverpool’s legendary defender Tommy Smith.
They said: “Tommy has settled in very well – he was a bit nervous at first but after a couple of days he’s now ruling the roost. Our family has all fallen in love with him – he even has an international fanbase from our relatives in Australia. We’re so glad we adopted him.”
This wasn’t the only time a cat was found on the pitch at Anfield. Back in 2014, one took to the hallowed turf in the build-up to Liverpool’s Premier League victory over Swansea City.
The feline pitch invader was just one of the Liverpool matchday moggies made famous by the notorious ‘Anfield Cat’. Following his match-halting appearance in February 2012, the furry icon swiftly became an X, formerly Twitter, sensation, gaining 30,000 followers after a spoof account in his name was set up.
He was later put up for rehoming before mounting a daring escape from his foster home. Liverpool’s love affair with intrepid felines dates back to the opening game of the 1964-65 season, when the Reds – defending First Division champions – took on Arsenal in a match which became the first ever to have highlights televised on Match of the Day.
A black cat appeared from the behind the Kop and held up play briefly. The invader certainly proved to be a lucky omen – Liverpool won the game 3-2 and also went on to win the FA Cup for the first time at the end of the season.
Another stray cat, nicknamed Moglet, was found abandoned outside the club gates. She was adopted by ground staff in the 1980s and became an unofficial mascot. Moglet was considered a lucky omen by the players and staff and featured on the match programme cover in 1982-83 season, pictured with the Milk Cup.
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