Woman: Service cat denied entry to store

ALBUQUERQUE , Aug. 22 (UPI) -- An Albuquerque woman said she was initially denied entry into a grocery store because of her service cat.

Kateryna Friis, who suffers from two genetic conditions and a circulatory disease, said she needs her cat, Sprite, to act as a counterweight when she is walking and the animal can help her detect seizures before they happen, KOAT-TV, Albuquerque, reported Friday.

"Sprite can warn me before I pass out so I can sit down," Friis said. "She will alert me if I'm going to have a seizure from the pressure on my spine."

However, Friis said she was stopped from entering a Sunflower Farmers Market grocery store because she was accompanied by the cat. "At the door they told me she could not enter. I responded as I always

do: she's a service animal," Friis said.

"I repeated again she's a service animal, and he said, 'That doesn't matter, she's a health code violation.'"

Managers at the store said the incident was a misunderstanding and the woman was eventually allowed inside with her service cat. Manager Dave Bicket said the store has even planned a fundraiser to help Friis purchase a special harness for her cat.

"We have misunderstandings," Bicket said.