Royal Mail threatened to stop delivering to couple because cat was ‘attacking’ posties | UK | News

The Royal Mail threatened to stop delivering to a couple because their cat was reportedly attacking posties.

The organisation sent a letter to Lee Haynes and Jo Woodley because their cat was attacking personnel through their letterbox.

In a letter, they said their three-year-old cat called Ernie was making visits dangerous.

In response, the couple said their cat was “placid”, but the Royal Mail has asked them to take action to protect their workers.

As a result, the couple have installed an exterior post box which the cat can’t get access to.

Mr Haynes, 44, defended his cat who he said is not malicious.

He explained: “It’s hilarious. He’s such a placid cat and this is like he’s got some kind of ASBO.

“It’s so funny. They’ve sent [the letter] all the way from Plymouth, instead of just sticking a note on the door. It’s not malicious. It’s a game to him.”

Mr Haynes added: “Ernie spends most of his time lying down but he’s just fascinated by the letterbox.

“As soon as he hears it he’s there like a lightning bolt. His paw comes out of the letterbox to try and grab whatever’s there, but maybe he’s accidentally grabbing the postman’s fingers.

“He doesn’t use his claws, just the pads of his paws to try and grab the letter. But I wonder if the postman thought he might scratch.”

The Royal Mail sent their letter in July under the title ‘Potential suspension of deliveries to your address’.

They wrote: “We’re experiencing difficulties in delivering mail to your address because of the actions of a cat at your property. Your cat is behind the letterbox clawing at mail and fingers.”

The Royal Mail letter also suggested ways the couple could solve the issue and said they had 14 days to take action or deliveries would be suspended.

Mr Haynes said he believed his cat would be “very disappointed” by the development.

In a statement, a Royal Mail spokesperson said: “While Royal Mail is committed to providing a consistent daily delivery to all addresses, we do place the highest priority on the safety of our employees and will ask for appropriate measures to be put in place to ensure they can carry out their role without any harm.”