Man sues Sainsbury’s for banning his assistance cat Chloe

theguardian.com:

Chloe the assistance cat could make legal history with her handler, Ian Fenn, after Sainsbury’s refused to allow her into one of its shops.

Fenn, who has autism and has trained the black cat to be a support for him, is taking legal action against the supermarket.

He says Chloe prevents sensory overload and should be treated like a guide dog or any other aid designed to help someone with a disability.

On a visit to Sainsbury’s in Clapham, south London, in March, Fenn was told by security and staff that he would need to leave the cat outside. After he complained, Sainsbury’s told him it would only allow assistance dogs into its stores.

Chris Fry, who specialises in disability discrimination actions and is bringing a case for Fenn under the Equality Act, said: “There are plenty of cases about guide dogs being refused access to places or services but there hasn’t really been any judicial exploration of what constitutes an assistance animal if it’s not a dog.”

Hospitals, shops and hotel chains have allowed Fenn, a product designer from south London, to bring Chloe along for assistance. The black cat is on a lead when he takes her to shops and wears a fluorescent yellow “service cat” jacket. She typically sits on Fenn’s shoulders as he walks around.

“Chloe accompanies me to hospital, GP, and blood donation appointments,” Fenn wrote using Chloe’s Twitter handle on Friday.

“We’ve been to zoos and aquariums where biosecurity needs to be considered. We’ve been to other supermarkets. What is so special about Sainsbury’s, who originally said I was welcome in any store?”

Sainsbury’s said it was working with an environmental health team to see if there was a way for Fenn and his cat to visit safely. The company argued that even though Chloe