Beware of the cat! Royal Mail refuses to deliver any more letters after Biscuit the ginger moggy scratches postman
Many postmen will have encountered the threat of a snarling dog itching to nip their fingers and ankles whenever they approach a letter box.
And now a pet-owner has been threatened with having her post cut off because of her pet who keeps on attacking Royal Mail staff.
But this is no ferocious dog - it's a fluffy ginger cat called Biscuit.
The owner of two-year-old Biscuit received a letter threatening to cut off her post, which she described as 'ridiculous'.
Judith Phizacklea was informed by a delivery office manager at Royal Mail that postmen were 'experiencing difficulties in delivering mail because of the actions of a cat'.
The letter states Royal Mail had carried out a health and safety risk assessment because Biscuit stands behind the letterbox and 'scratches with its paws'.
She said: ‘It seems ridiculous, he has never been aggressive in his life. He likes to pull the letters out of the mail box but no one has ever complained before.
‘We used to have a regular postman and he loved Biscuit, but now there is a different one every day.
‘We did install a post-box outside our house but the postmen have still been delivering through our letter box!
‘I would have liked it if the postman who complained had just knocked on our door and had a word with us about it.’
Her daughter Rebecca Phizacklea, 19, said: ‘My mum rang me at work to tell me about it and I just laughed.
‘You would think he was a huge Rottweiler chasing them up the street according to that letter.’
The letter requested Mrs Phizacklea install a letter cage on the inside of her letterbox, or a dedicated post box on the exterior of their property, within 14 days or have deliveries to their property suspended.
Biscuit was adopted by the family in Barrow, Cumbria, after being found in a cardboard box by a canal in Ulverston two years ago.
'He was quite ill when we picked him up, but he's a lovely cat,' said Mrs Phizacklea.
Val Bodden, a Royal Mail spokeswoman, said: 'We deliver to almost 29 million addresses so it is always a last resort if we decide to contact a customer about a delivery issue.
'There are around 4,000 animal attacks a year on Royal Mail people and these attacks, however great or small, cause great distress and in too many cases serious injuries. Our main aim is to prevent attacks.
'If we feel that there is a risk from a dog, cat, or any other animal at an individual address, we are committed to working with the customer to agree simple steps to ensure that we can deliver the mail safely.
'We always welcome the co-operation of our customers for taking responsibility for keeping their pets under control.'
Mrs Phizacklea was informed of the furore over the cat by Scott Allan, delivery manager at the Royal Mail's depot in Barrow.