Letting the cat out of the bag

Date: 30/01/1997

Male members of the Brussels press corps are treating Anita Gradin's spokeswoman Sophie Petzell with caution these days, following reports that she was the first to be sent on a new press relations training course which involves castrating cats.

As usual, reports circulating amongst the hacks were only partly true.

It turns out that Sophie and her husband took their cat along for a little neutrational surgery and were invited to stay and watch the proceedings.

Sophie says she was happy to do so, and she has not denied that the experience might come in useful in her daily dealings with difficult customers - perhaps such as those retelling tales of Gradin's angry letter to Liikanen about blondes having more fun.