Stan has acquired nearly 7,500 Facebook fans and about 700 Twitter followers. (Hugh Chisholm / Tuxedo Stan for Mayor)

This Cat Wants Your Vote

Tuxedo Stan runs for mayor in a Canadian town

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Tuxedo Stan is running to raise awareness for homeless cats in Halifax, Nova Scotia. (Tuxedo Stan for Mayor)

One of the seven candidates running for mayor of Halifax, Canada, really stands out—because he stands on four legs. Tuxedo Stan, a black-and-white cat, is running for Mayor to help improve the welfare of cats in the area. He is running under his very own political party, the “Tuxedo Party.”

Stan is not allowed to appear on official ballots because he is not a human. But his campaign has gotten attention and support from people around the world. As of October 1, Stan had nearly 7,500 Facebook fans and about 700 Twitter followers.

“[What] floored me the most was . . . that Stan had made the Sky News Arabia network,” Stan’s owner, Hugh Chisholm, told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).

LENDING A HELPING PAW

From 40,000 to 100,000 homeless cats are in Halifax, capital of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. These cats often live in miserable conditions. Chisholm wants Halifax to develop an affordable program to help control the feline population in a humane way. He hopes that Stan’s campaign will help change people’s attitudes about stray cats and keep people from mistreating them.

Like other candidates, Stan has his own campaign slogan: “Tuxedo Stanley for Mayor . . . because neglect isn’t working.” Chisholm points out that people have neglected, or ignored, Halifax’s cat problem, allowing the stray-cat population to grow. Stan’s supporters have been wearing buttons and T-shirts with his campaign slogan. Some have even put pro-Stan campaign signs in their yards.

Nearly 58 percent of respondents in a recent CBC News Online poll said they would consider voting for Stan. Advance voting by Internet and telephone begins October 6, and Election Day is October 20.

Of course, Stan can’t officially run Halifax. But if he gets enough votes, he would become the world’s second honorary Mayor that meows. A kitty named Stubbs has been the unofficial Mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska, for nearly 15 years!

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