An Ode To Mousers

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Yes, there is, in fact, an official position called Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office. This role- obviously always given to a cat- entails keeping the rodent population at 10 Downing Street, the residence of the British Prime Minister, in check.

Although official records released into the public domain only go back as far as the 1920s, there has been evidence of the English government having a resident feline as far back as 1515, during the reign of Henry VIII.

FUN FACTS

·In 1929, the allowance for the Chief Mouser was one pence per day from petty cash; in the early 1930s, this was raised to one shilling six pence per week.

·By the 21^st century, the Mouser was costing 100 pounds per annum.

·The cats generally belong to the residence, not the PM; multiple Mousers have served alongside multiple Prime Ministers.

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MOUSERS

Since 1924, there have been 12 mousers:

Rufus: Rufus of England served from 1924 to 1930 under Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald

Peter: Peter served as Chief Mouser between 1929 and 1946, a total of 17 years and five Prime Ministers. This black cat’s tenure defined multiple precedents for the role of Chief Mouser.

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Munich Mouser: Munich served alongside Peter from 1937 to 2948; he was named for the 1938 Munich Agreement.

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Nelson: Nelson served between 1940 and 1946 under Winston Churchill; a grey cat of undetermined lineage, he was named for Admiral Horatio Nelson.

Peter II: An unofficial successor to the original Peter, Peter II served only six months before his death from being hit by a car.

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Peter III: Replaced Peter II in August 1947. This Peter was Chief Mouser from 1947 to 1964.

Peta: Manninagh KateDhu, commonly called Peta, was Chief Mouser between 1964 to circa 1976, serving under three Prime Ministers. She was the first female cat to serve in the role.

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Wilberforce: named for abolitionist William Wilberforce, this black and white cat served as Chief Mouser between 1973 and 1986. Fun fact: the policeman on security duty outside Number 10 had instructions to ring the doorbell when Wilberforce wanted indoors.

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Humphrey: Humphrey was employed as Chief Mouser from 1989 to 1997. Arriving as a 1-year-old stray, he served under Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher, John Major, and Tony Blair.

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Sybil: Sybil was the first cat at 10 Downing Street after about a 10-year hiatus; she served as Chief Mouser from 2007 to 2009.

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Freya: Owned by former Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne, Freya served as Chief Mouser from 2012 to 2014. Freya was brought on after former Prime Minister David Cameron grew frustrated with Chief Mouser Larry’s perceived laziness.

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Larry: Larry is the current Chief Mouser; having served in the role since 2011. His official duties are described as “greeting guests to the house, inspecting security defences, and testing antique furniture for nap quality,” in addition to “contemplating a solution to the mouse occupancy of the house.” He is known to be territorial against the other cats in Downing Street.

Image source : purr-n-fur.