A little black cat is uniting an East Vancouver neighbourhood

Nigel is known for his friendly attitude and his calm energy in the neighbourhood.

Nigel, a black cat residing in East Vancouver, has been a neighbourhood staple for years.

He roams the streets, generously accepting pets from his many fans and keeping an eye on the community. He’s even listed as a tourist attraction on Google Maps with 15 five-star reviews, many praising his sweet demeanour.

Not everyone is so charmed by the friendly feline, though.

In the last few months, Nigel’s owners have been receiving anonymous messages through their neighbour’s mailbox. The messages are all about Nigel, claiming his owners are neglecting him and that he is lost and confused.

Nigel’s owners ended up posting a message around the neighbourhood, asking for the author of the messages to come forward and hopefully resolve any issues.

What followed was unexpected. Public art began popping up on power poles near Nigel’s home with messages of support — many of them cracking fun at the original neighbour’s grievances.

“We started to notice on the electrical pillar around two months ago now, probably,” neighbourhood resident Parv Sachdeva said, “it was mostly just cardboard pieces and kind of a Batman-esque cat with a red background.”

As more people caught wind of the situation, more art was plastered around poles along Frances Street. Photos were posted on social media with daily updates of the growing shrine.

Then, the artwork disappeared seemingly overnight.

“About two or three weeks ago, some angry resident, they took everything down.” Sachdeva said.

The community rallied, and dozens of pieces of art were back on the poles within a couple days. Many featured a new tag, #TeamNigel.

Officially, utility poles are off-limits for posters and other artwork.

“Posting signs on BC Hydro power poles creates safety risks because fasteners left in poles can puncture protective clothing or gloves, damage safety equipment or create a risk of falls if climbing gear slips or snags unexpectedly,” BC Hydro said in a statement emailed to CTV News.

It doesn’t appear the utility company has taken action to remove the Nigel mural, although some people are spreading the word about the safety issue underneath posts about the infamous cat on Reddit.

In the meantime, the community continues to enjoy the impromptu art installation. Sachdeva says although the situation was born out of a misunderstanding, he hopes it will inspire creativity in other neighbourhoods across the city.

“Put up more artwork. It’s such a simple, cute thing for a community to do and come together.”