◎蔡子岳
A Texas town council voted on Friday not to evict a cat from the local library, reversing itself and averting a possible cat-astrophe.
德州懷特塞特門市議會週五決議收回逐客令，避免一場可能的「貓災難」。
Mayor Ron White told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram the crusade against Browser started with simple pettiness at City Hall. Apparently, a city employee was angry at not being allowed to keep a pet at work, and started an anti-cat fuss.
市長懷特向地方媒體表示，逐出「布勞瑟」之議，起因自市府內瑣事。很明顯的是，由於帶寵物來上班未獲允許，某位市府雇員怒而發起「反貓」異議。
"We’ve had that cat five years, and there’s never been a question," said White, a Browser supporter. "That cat doesn’t have anything to do with whether somebody can have their puppy at City Hall."
「『布勞瑟』擔任館貓五年，從來沒啥問題 ，」也是「布勞瑟」支持者的市長說，「『布勞瑟』與某人能否帶狗兒進市府工作，兩事根本無關。」
The vote two weeks ago to oust Browser made the cat an international cause celebre.
兩週前要求「布勞瑟」離職之投票決議，使得「布勞瑟」成了國際名「貓」。
Council member Jim Ryan said during Friday’s special meeting that he had personally received 1,394 messages in the past week from all over the United States as well as Germany, Australia, Malaysia, Guam and Italy. And "all were in support [of Browser]".
市議員萊恩於週五特別會議報告稱，過去一週內，他個人收到1394則訊息，來自全美各地、德國、澳洲、馬來西亞、關島及義大利，「訊息都支持布勞瑟。」
Council member Elzie Clements expressed concerns that the cat’s presence could be a problem for those with allergies.
市議員克萊門茲提出顧慮，館內有貓對過敏體質者可能構成問題。
Lillian Blackburn, president of Friends of the White Settlement Public Library, said people are free to call ahead so the cat can be sequestered during their visit.
懷特塞特門市公立圖書館之友會主席布萊克本表示，有此顧慮的市民可以先致電圖書館，讓館方事先將貓咪隔離開。
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