Meet Northern’s Blackpool depot cats who have found their ‘furever’ railway home

By Emma Downey
Published 24th Oct 2023, 15:17 BST
Updated 24th Oct 2023, 15:17 BST
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The team has even built a cosy wooden house for them outside although they both usually prefer to hang-out indoors.

An abandoned, cold and hungry skinny black cat showed up at one of Northern’s Lancashire depots 10 years ago and the team at Blackpool took him in and named him ‘Max’.

He clearly spread the word to all of his feline friends that the depot was a purr-fect place to live as ‘Ginge’ has now also chosen to make it his home after he too was found abandoned.

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Street cat Ginge now lives at Blackpool depot Street cat Ginge now lives at Blackpool depot
Street cat Ginge now lives at Blackpool depot | NW

The pair now preside over the depot, keeping work on-track, when they’re not napping in the mess room or demanding treats from their colleagues.

The team has even built a cosy wooden house for them outside although they both usually prefer to hang-out indoors.

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Northern colleagues Simon Crabtree, Matt Lodge with Max the cat, Gary Pennington and Steve Gordon with Ginge the catNorthern colleagues Simon Crabtree, Matt Lodge with Max the cat, Gary Pennington and Steve Gordon with Ginge the cat
Northern colleagues Simon Crabtree, Matt Lodge with Max the cat, Gary Pennington and Steve Gordon with Ginge the cat | nw

Ahead of National Cat Day this Sunday (29 October) Northern has shared some images of the lucky moggies ‘at home’ at Northern’s Blackpool depot.

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Simon Crabtree, production delivery manager at Northern, said: “The team love Max and Ginge and are proud to take care of them - and they all chip in to pay for the vet bills and food.

“Because the depot operates 24-hours a day, there’s always someone around to make a fuss of them – and they’re great company for us.

“They are important members of our team here at the depot.”

Related topics:LancashireBlackpoolWorkFoodCatsNetwork Rail

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