Wildflour BGC faces boycott calls over stray cat Melody's alleged 'eviction'

Restaurant says Melody was temporarily rehomed due to ongoing renovations; cat is up for adoption.

The absence of a restaurant’s resident stray cat in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, has upset many netizens, with some calling for a boycott of the establishment over the lack of clarity surrounding the situation.

BGC residents began to notice on July 5 that Melody’s feeding bowls had disappeared. Melody is a stray cat that frequently visits Wildflour Restaurant. Some speculated that the restaurant had “unceremoniously evicted” the cat.

Wildflour then clarified that Melody was temporarily rehomed due to ongoing renovations. “Melody’s temporary relocation was made with her welfare in mind, as renovation work can be noisy and stressful for animals,” the restaurant said in a July 6 Threads post.

The restaurant also thanked the BGC cat community for facilitating Melody’s rehoming and care. On the same day, volunteer group Cats of BGC announced that Melody was up for adoption.

“[Melody] grew up as a restaurant cat, greeting diners, lounging under tables, and charming everyone who stopped to say hello. But the place she’s always called home is changing, and we’re hoping Melody never has to wonder where she’ll sleep next,” the group wrote.

Neither Wildflour nor Cats of BGC elaborated on the details of their supposed arrangement for Melody’s care, but netizens perceived the adoption announcement to contradict what the restaurant claimed was a temporary rehoming.

The incident shows that customers value community fixtures such as stray animals, underscoring the need for establishments to treat members of the community with dignity through both their actions and communication to earn consumers’ trust beyond the quality of their service.