Felix the Huddersfield Station Cat passes away

[tpfx89]

Post this morning on the Felix & Bolt facebook page here

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved Felix.
On Sunday evening, she peacefully went to sleep, in the loving comfort of Angie Hunte (Station Manager) and Jacqui Cox (Station Team Leader).
Felix joined TPE in 2011 and since then has left paw prints across the hearts of people from all over the world.
We will miss her dearly.
We please ask that if people would like to leave their words of sympathy they comment on this page and refrain from visiting the station. A fitting tribute and memorial for Felix will be organised in due course and the station team need time to process and grieve this deep loss.

Feel a little sad myself, spent my first few years on the railway working alongside this cat, very much loved by the station team, as well as public far and wide, introduced people from all over the word to this cat.
on top of this, she was a great force for good, with over 240K raised for various charities off the back of her celebrity status.

 

[Narrowgauge725]

 

[43066]

Very sad. 12 is no great age for a cat, either.

 

[Chriso]

I’m saddened to hear this as well. The Railway doesn’t do itself much favours media wise but Station cats and their acceptance by staff and passengers is a really nice thing to read.

Only the other day I enjoyed reading about the station cat at Stevenage Nala who enjoys sitting on the ticket gates . Put a smile on my face

 

[Howardh]

Awww no! As alluded to, 12 is relatively young unless there was an underlying issue. Only ever got to meet Bolty, so it's sad I won't be meeting Felix.

Adds; The Adventures Of Felix and Bolt The Station Cats would make a great children's TV series!

 

[GardenRail]

Nooooo. Hopefully a nice little 'statue' of her, on the platform.

 

[trainophile]

Very sad news. I made a special trip to Huddersfield once to meet her, got talking to a lovely couple from the USA who were on the same mission. Sadly she was hiding that day so I never did get to pat that gorgeous fluffy head. RIP Felix, and condolences to all the station staff, not forgetting Bolt of course.

 

[12LDA28C]

Only the other day I enjoyed reading about the station cat at Stevenage Nala who enjoys sitting on the ticket gates . Put a smile on my face

Indeed, I've never met Nala myself but seen plenty of pictures. A beautiful cat and a great asset to the station.

 

[tpfx89]

Ah she was poorly according to the TPE press release here

After many years of being ‘on guard’ at the Yorkshire station, Felix passed away peacefully on 3 December 2023 after the discovery of a terminal illness.

 

[Evolution]

Very sad news, having travelled through the station many times, I never managed to see Felix, unfortunately. RIP.

 

[richard1976]

Sad news, RIP Felix

 

[JohnMcL7]

I enjoyed both books on Felix although like many others never managed to see her when I went to the station. It's sad to hear she's passed away especially fairly young for a cat although she must have reached so many people when you say the range of comments on her FB page and mentioned in the book.

 

[Purple Train]

I enjoyed both books on Felix although like many others never managed to see her when I went to the station. It's sad to hear she's passed away especially fairly young for a cat although she must have reached so many people when you say the range of comments on her FB page and mentioned in the book.

Hear hear.

 

[McRhu]

RIP Felix. Is there a new generation of up-and-coming station cats to replace the old guard? I hope so.

 

[DanNCL]

I only saw Felix once, she was sat on a platform bench that was just about perfectly aligned with where I was sat on a westbound train when it stopped. I remember being amazed at how unbothered she was by the racket that a 68 makes as most cats don't like loud noise.

Having lost a few cats to terminal illnesses I can relate to how awful this must be for those at Huddersfield station who looked after, and how difficult the decision to put her to sleep must have been.

 

[XCTurbostar]

Rest In Peace Felix

 

[aem7ac]

Rest in Peace, Felix.
The Class 68 that bears her name will only see a few more days in TPE operation. Hopefully DRS will keep it named even though it won't see Huddersfield much anymore (rarely did anyways in TPE service).

 

[mike57]

Rest in Peace, Felix.
The Class 68 that bears her name will only see a few more days in TPE operation. Hopefully DRS will keep it named even though it won't see Huddersfield much anymore (rarely did anyways in TPE service).

Travelled behind Felix the engine at least once, never saw Felix the cat in spite of passing though Huddersfield almost weekly for many years. As others have said Felix wasn't 'old' but how old was she when she decided to make Huddersfield station her home? Hopefully DRS will realise that removing or renaming would invoke the wrath of both cat lovers and rail enthusiasts, quite a substantial group I would suggest.

 

[trainophile]

RIP Felix. Is there a new generation of up-and-coming station cats to replace the old guard? I hope so.

Bolt was her protegé, he's been there a few years now. Beautiful shiny black Bolt. I hope they get him a new companion.

 

[DanNCL]

how old was she when she decided to make Huddersfield station her home?

She lived at Huddersfield station almost her entire life. She arrived there as a kitten.

 

[YorkRailFan]

RIP Felix, you will be remembered. Hopefully Huddersfield gets another station cat.

 

[aem7ac]

RIP Felix, you will be remembered. Hopefully Huddersfield gets another station cat.

They already have another - a much younger black cat named Bolt that worked with Felix for years.

 

[YorkRailFan]

They already have another - a much younger black cat named Bolt that worked with Felix for years.

I knew they had another cat but forgot their name, would be nice for Bolt to have a companion.

 

[neilmc]

I thought this was going to read:

"she was a great force for good, with over 240K mice caught"

We had our own cat put down two weeks ago and I'm missing him, sad news for all.

 

[Skiddaw]

I thought this was going to read:

"she was a great force for good, with over 240K mice caught"

We had our own cat put down two weeks ago and I'm missing him, sad news for all.

Oh bless her... and very sad to hear about the passing your dear furball neilmc. It's horrid isn't it? You never forget them.

 

[DaventryRabbit]

Sad news, RIP Felix

Seconded
I briefly got to see Bolt back in 2020 but not Felix sadly
Condolences to all at Huddersfield

 

[johntea]

Oddly I don't even visit Huddersfield that often but did bump into Felix once, she was slightly more interested with the bin bag on the platform rather than me at the time though

From memory they even put a cat flap in for her at the ticket barriers!

 

[GatwickDepress]

Sad news indeed. Used to always keep an eye out for the Cat Controller whenever I was passing through Huddersfield, and she did brighten up my day whenever sighted.

 

[Taunton]

Farewell Puss, Skimbleshanks' successor. Good for the railway to have known you.

Both Mrs T and self have a background of being cat people in our families. None at present, because it would be unfair with our lifestyle, though we are very tolerant (mostly) of the trespassers in our garden. When we moved from Somerset to the Wirral our family cat, who lived to 20 (yes) came in a wicker basket (Warship to Crewe, new electric beyond), varying between the guards' van and a side compartment. Meowed most of the way, apparently. First thing she did at the new house was to completely clear out a nest of mice, from somewhere, laid outside the back door each morning as trophies, until they were all gone.

Skimbleshanks later helped me get a good grade in GCSE English :

Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat - Poem by T. S. Eliot

 

[JohnMcL7]

Rest in Peace, Felix.
The Class 68 that bears her name will only see a few more days in TPE operation. Hopefully DRS will keep it named even though it won't see Huddersfield much anymore (rarely did anyways in TPE service).

I was hoping they'd keep the Felix name so that eventually if it's doing general DRS work, it makes its way up to the Highlands at some point

Travelled behind Felix the engine at least once, never saw Felix the cat in spite of passing though Huddersfield almost weekly for many years. As others have said Felix wasn't 'old' but how old was she when she decided to make Huddersfield station her home? Hopefully DRS will realise that removing or renaming would invoke the wrath of both cat lovers and rail enthusiasts, quite a substantial group I would suggest.

As mentioned above, she was chosen as a kitten to live at Huddersfield station as some of the staff had seen other station cats and wanted one for Huddersfield. There's a book about her and one about Felix and Bolt which I thought were both a pleasant read:

Felix the Railway Cat: Amazon.co.uk: Moore, Kate: 9781405929783: Books

Buy Felix the Railway Cat by Moore, Kate (ISBN: 9781405929783) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.

www.amazon.co.uk