Library cat outlasts councilman that wanted him gone

WHITE SETTLEMENT, Texas -- A city councilman is out -- and the beloved library cat he tried to chase off gets to stay,CBS Dallas/Fort Worth reports.

Elzie Clements’ final meeting as a member of the White Settlement City Council was Tuesday night. Clements tried to have Browser, the city’s docile grey tabby library cat, fired this past summer.

Browser got his job at the White Settlement Public Library when he was just a kitten. That was in October of 2010, the library’s website says. He was recruited from a local animal shelter as an inexpensive, effective method of pest control.

In July, a city worker apparently demanded Browser’s removal after the worker was not allowed to bring a puppy to work at City Hall. Two-legged library workers were outraged, and many people who use the library often said that they were unhappy with Bowser’s dismissal.

CBS DFW/Image via White Settlement Public Library

The White Settlement City Council took up the issue of what to do with Browser, with Clements being the lone vote to get rid of the favorable feline.

Browser got a reprieve following a world-wide backlash, and reports say there were still some hard feelings among council members after the cat fight.

Councilman Clements eventually ran out of his nine lives after he was defeated in a landslide in November’s election.

Mayor Ron White says as far as he’s concerned, Browser’s job title is now “Library Cat for Life.”

“Browser is still employed and will be as long as he wishes to continue his duties as mascot and reading helper for the children at the library,” White said.

White said he’s gotten thousands of messages about the cat from around the world, and many families have already offered to adopt Browser.