Claws Out In Davenport Riding

With the provincial election upon us, Toronto's Davenport riding is in for a shakeup as a new candidate enters the fray: Lucky, Felis catus siamensis.

Presumably asking for a ballot write-in, Lucky's campaign statement outlines a concern with the declining quality of life in Toronto's neighbourhoods, and promises to bring accountability to the riding. "If something stinks, I'll sniff it out," he says. "I'm your best pest control."

And why should Torontonians send a cat to Queen's Park? "I believe I can do a better job for Davenport than the incumbent Tony Ruprecht," Lucky claims. Ruprecht was first elected to the Ontario Legislature (representing Parkdale) in 1981, and is an obvious fan of hats—though perhaps not of cats.

When questioned about what drove him into politics, the Davenport resident basks in a sunbeam and recalls the recent tainted pet food scandal, but then is immediately distracted by our laser pointer keychain.

Lucky's campaign team boasts of a groundswell in recent days from the animal community, perhaps due to Lucky's fluency in dog and squirrel dialects. The father of five litters, he is heavily courting the family vote, and instead of paid vacations, the nocturnal predator and scrappy street fighter is willing to sit in the legislature for as long as it takes. The cat has raised the hackles of environmental groups for insisting on burying his poop, though he reminds opponents that pet feces can't be dumped in the Green Bin (EDIT: Actually, pet waste now can be placed in the green bin).

We'll believe it when we see it—for much of the interview, Lucky frequently licked his harbls and seemed to doze with half-closed eyes. He also bristled at questions referring to the FIV epidemic and seemed to have a particular disdain for vegetarians.

Photo by dzgnboy from the Torontoist Flickr Pool.