Cat-astrophe at hospital! Bosik the Whittington moggy heads east
Published: 18 August 2011
by TOM FOOT
TURN again, Whittington Cat. Turn again.
A black cat called Bosik cast a fond, final look back towards the Whittington Hospital as staff waved farewell and thanked him for the memories this week.
The puss – a perfect doppelganger for the moggy in the hospital’s logo – was known to visit the hospital’s grounds in Magdala Avenue every day for the past two years – and even used to poke his nose into some of the admin’ ofices.
He was seen stealing nibbles from the chief executive’s offices, napping outside the A&E and lolling in the hospital’s public gardens.
But the cat’s owners, who lived nearby, have moved to a new house further east – with a garden – meaning staff will no longer get their daily purr.
In a statement to thousands of staff members, the Highgate NHS trust said: “It is with great sadness that we have to announce the departure of Bosik, the Whittington Hospital’s real-life cat. We hope he is as well-loved and looked after as he was when visiting the hospital.”
“It was a sad goodbye,” spokeswoman Deborah Goodhart added. The hospital has a black cat logo and a statue of Dick Whittington’s cat, with its head cast back towards central London, can be found on Highgate Hill.