Ads sidelined as cats take over London Tube stop

LONDON: Cats have taken over a London underground train station in a campaign to challenge advertising norms, attracting hordes of sightseers -- and leaving dog lovers dismayed. Passengers traveling through Clapham Common station this week have noticed something is awry, with dozens of cats peering down from posters which previously displayed advertising. The Citizens Advertising Takeover Service (CATS) project is the brainchild of Glimpse, a creative collective aiming for positive social change.

James Turner, who founded Glimpse earlier this year, said the group chose cats because of their online popularity, and set up a crowdfunding page to pay for the new posters. More than £23,000 ($30,000, 26,900 euros) was raised on the Kickstarter website, funding 68 adverts at Clapham Common on the Northern Line. Turner, who works in communications, said he was surprised by the huge response to the two-week campaign.