Canada Post is refusing to deliver a Winnipeg man's mail because the corporation says his house cat is aggressive and threatening the letter carrier.
 
John Samborski received a form letter from Canada Post in his mailbox Thursday, saying his eight-year-old cat, Shadow, has made it "unsafe" for his letter carrier to deliver the mail.

Samborski will have to pick up his mail at a depot four kilometres from his East Kildonan home until a solution to the problem can be found.

John Samborski's cat, Shadow, is accused of scaring away letter carriers.
(CBC)

Samborski disputes the idea that his eight-year-old pet is dangerous.

"There's my evil cat. He's declawed. He's freaked out just over you guys," Samborski told CBC Friday. "He just wants to run and hide — that's what he does."

He also says this is the first he's heard of a problem with Shadow.

"I think this is ridiculous," he said. "[We] never, ever had any kind of warning, written or verbal, of any sort from them, none whatsoever."

Canada Post spokeswoman Kathi Neal could be describing a different cat altogether.

"We have quite a history with this cat," she said. "It has attacked letter carriers three times, two different letter carriers."

Letter carriers have been growled at, stalked, and in one case, Shadow climbed up the letter carrier and tried to scratch his face, Neal said.

"It's quite serious. We're really not sure if it's had its shots. Because of its aggressive behaviour, we're not sure if it has rabies or what the situation is, and we have to talk to customer about that."

Shadow appeared docile when CBC reporters were at Samborski's home — as long as his owner was nearby. When a CBC camera operator returned to get more pictures, the cat hissed and bared his fangs.
 
Neal suggested Samborski should keep Shadow in the house during the time the mail is delivered.
 
Canada Post says up to 15 letter carriers are bitten by cats, dogs and even raccoons in Manitoba every year.