The Cat that 'stalks' the Butcher's Shop

The cat named 'Zero' visits the butcher's shop Schori in Berne's Breitenrain every day - to the pleasure of customers and passersby. The cat is a popular photo scene.

20 Minuten 01 February 2016: «Rassigi Bure Bratwurst», «Rippli und Speck» or «Poulet Curry fix-fertig»: A visit to the butcher's shop Schori at Breitenrainplatz in the Swiss capital of Berne seems to be a favourite not only for two-legged meat lovers. The shop has a very special regular visitor. Cat Zero comes along every day. «The cat arrives between five and six o'clock in the morning and sits at the entrance door all day» shop owner Markus Schori says. It remains either left or right of the door frame, even when people enter or exit the shop. But Zero - the name the cat is called in the area - never dared to cross the threshold. «Only when a dog walks by, Zero humps its back» the butcher adds.

The shop's customers are not bothered by the cat's presence. According to Schori, some buy a bit of extra meat and feed the Zero. The butcher as well as his employees also feed the cat every now and then.

Zero the Photo Model

Meanwhile, Zero has become a popular photo scene in the Breitsch quarter. Numerous pedestrians pull out their smartphones and take a shot of the cat next to the advertising posters of the meat store. «This is probably the most photographed cat in Switzerland» says Schori about the unofficial mascot of the shop. But Zero is not the cuddly type of pussy cat. Biting and scratching, it keeps the photographers at distance. «Many have almost dropped their smartphones in shock» the butcher laughs.

The cats visits the butcher's shop for more than a year, since the beginning of this year even daily. Schori is not sure about the owner of the cat. «A woman once told me it might belong to somebody living at Stockerenweg. She has the sibling of the cat, that's how she knows». The cat is about six years old and is called Zero, that's all he knows about it.

Translation: Gabriele Ruttloff
Link to original article in German
Photos: 20 Minuten/kaf