Ginger cat Mikan named 'station master' on the 15th anniversary of the Kaohsiung Metro

The Taiwan metro station commemorated the 15th anniversary of the Kaohsiung MRT, which coincides with the nation's Children's Day, with a very photogenic ginger cat named Mikan. According to Taiwan News, the Kaohsiung Mass Rapid Transit, a metro network covering the metropolitan area of Kaohsiung with 37 stations, celebrated its 15th anniversary on April 4.

To mark both these occasions, Mikan was promoted to the position of "station master." Over the years, Mikan has gained popularity across social media platforms and has an Instagram handle with over 57k followers. In March 2021, Tsai Ing-wen, the president of China, visited Mikan at the Kaohsiung metro station and a Twitter post about the same received over 11.4K likes. 

As reported by CNA, the "celebration of the 15th Anniversary of Gaojie and the first flight of the theme-painted train and theme station activities of Mima Connection Happy and Cute Club" will be held at Gaojie Formosa Station.

The railway line Totoro Tunnel, was opened to traffic and the spokesperson of Gaojie "Mikan Station Master," collaborated with good friends from "Huang Ama's Harem Life" to create a "Mima Connection~Happy and Cute" themed train. Mikan is mostly at the Ciaotou Sugar Refinery metro station, and on April 4, a popular Twitter account named (@CatWorkers) tweeted about the ginger cat's promotion. The tweet amassed 48K likes and people in the comments could not get enough of the cuteness.

Twitter user @ExhaustedIsaac commented, "Dare I say... stationMEOWSTER?" @raptormantis added, "Please let me know if he needs an assistant." Mikan, however, is not the only cat who is a station employee. George, a ginger cat, has the position of a “senior mouse catcher” at the Stourbridge Junction railway station in England.

According to Birmingham Live, he even has an international presence for winning the 'World Cup of Stations' award. The Rail Delivery Group announced Stourbridge as the winner, saying, "In one of the most nail-biting finishes we’ve had, Stourbridge Junction – with a little help from The Stourbridge Cat face and #CatsOfTwitter – is finally crowned World Cup Of Stations Trophy champion 2021."

Being "chief mouse catcher" at the busy station on the Worcestershire to Birmingham route, fans are now asking for a bronze statue of George to be erected in Black Country, England. In response, George tweeted, "I'm only a little cat with a big heart. I will ask the FC to mold a sculpture of me using donut batter."

A spokesperson for West Midlands Railway said, "The entire team at West Midlands Railway (including George) is extremely proud to see the win for Stourbridge and the West Midlands, particularly as stations across the network begin to welcome more and more passengers back on board. This year’s World Cup of Stations focused on the stations that help passengers travel to the people, places, and activities they love."

Apart from being the nation's favorite, George has also raised funds for charities like Stray Cats West Midlands, Samaritans, Crafting for Communities, the Black Country Food Bank, St. Marys Hospice and Priory Park Community School through donations from a company selling merchandise with his image on it. Express and Star reported that Olivia Mae Creations, a Wednesbury-based company, has made items, including coasters, calendars, mugs and planners, with pictures of George that were sold online and that the proceeds of each sale went towards charities the company supports.