Halifax, Canada, may no longer be a real city, but it's attracting international headlines.
That's because a third-party candidate running for mayor of the regional municipality has a lot going for him: He's elegantly dressed, he has a clear platform and he's popular in the polls. Oh, and he's a cat.
"Tuxedo Stan," an adorable black-and-white cat, is head of his own political party, "The Tuxedo Party," whose platform is to improve the general welfare of cats in the area, "because neglect isn't working," according to the cat's Facebook page.
And Stan seems to be connecting with potential voters, with more than 55 percent of respondents in a recent CBC News online poll saying they would consider voting for him.
The ambitious feline does face an uphill climb. For instance, his nonhuman status prevents him from appearing on official ballots. Nonetheless, Stan has caught the attention of his two-legged competition, including fellow mayoral candidate Waye Mason, who wrote on Twitter, "I'm just glad I'm not running against Tuxedo Stan. He is everywhere these days."
And yes, Tuxedo Stan even has his own Twitter account.
Win or lose, Stan's campaign manager, or what some would call his "owner," says he hopes the campaign will raise awareness about the importance of spaying and neutering cats. Still, Hugh Chisholm is taken aback at just how much attention his cat's unusual run is garnering.
"I think the thing that floored me the most was a couple of days ago we got a tweet that Stan had made the Sky News Arabia Network," Chisholm told the CBC.
"So, I followed the link and here's a story about Stan in a language that I have absolutely no idea what he's saying except every so often he comes out with 'Tuxedo Stan.'"
If Tuxedo Stan does somehow pull off the upset victory, he wouldn't be the only cat mayor out there. Stubbs the cat has been mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska, for 12 years and shows no signs of fading gently into the night.
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