A BELOVED supermarket cat has left a lasting legacy after the store he was resident at donated hundreds of pounds of cat food to a local animal shelter.
The outpouring of grief at Tesco in Stalybridge after Max passed away left many people amazed, not least owners Louise McFarlane and Laura Austin.
Now the shop has decided to do something in the animal’s memory by gifting £300 of supplies to Millstream.
And a permanent memorial is being discussed.
Louise said: “We wanted to keep the donation local and we’ve another cat, Henry, that came from Millstream.
“So we definitely wanted to give something back to them.”
Laura added: “We knew he was loved but the reaction was definitely a surprise.
“It was massive. People just kept tagging us in things, so we were just like, ‘Oh my God.’
“The first few days were just overwhelming. Seeing all the tributes that were left at the door was great, there are a lot of pictures from kids and things like that.
“And we’ve got them at home.”
The reaction to Max’s death obviously made waves nationally as Tesco store manager Amy Lumley, who was supported by team leader Julie Thompson, revealed this donation was done by head office.
“They got in touch and sorted it all out,” she said.
“And we’re currently in discussions about a permanent memorial. We’re also considering opening a permanent donation point, which would be good.
“That would all be in Max’s memory.”
Many may have scoffed at the reaction to a cat’s death but this donation has a much more serious side.
And Helen McAllister, of Millstream Animal Shelter, said: “A donation like this is absolutely marvellous.
“We’ve spent about £80,000 at the vets last year. We’ve 250 cats and we constantly need food.
“We have people coming in at Millstream and they’ll just sit with the cats. They bring treats and the cats respond to them, it’s good for them as well.”