The National Archives apparently has files dating from the 1. Cabinet Office, the Cabinet War Rooms (where one mouser was called Jumbo), the Treasury and the Home Office with details about the appointment and subsistence allowances for various 'Chief Mousers'. Even before that Frilly was resident cat at the British War Office in around 1. When he died the employees had a collection to pay for him to be stuffed and preserved for posterity, and in this guise he appeared at the Imperial War Museum's Animals' War exhibition in 2. One former Treasury cat was called Smokey, while a fine 'marmalade' tom rejoicing in the name of Rufus of England, later became better known as Treasury Bill; he served under Prime Minister Ramsay Macdonald from about 1. He was said to bring his trophies to his boss, but when he found that they were being picked up and put by the rubbish bins in the hallway, he soon realised the proper procedure, and after that the cleaners would find the mice neatly laid out by the bins for them to deal with! There's a story that when he began to decline in his latter years, becoming thin and rather languid, the Secretary to the Treasury submitted a claim to the Lords of the Treasury that Bill's food allowance was insufficient owing to a sharp rise in the cost of living, and should be increased by at least fifty per cent.
Starring Luke Treadaway (Unbroken, Clash of the Titans) as. You can still watch the first official UK trailer for A Street Cat Named Bob here, to see more from this. Based on the international best selling book by.
Their lordships replied that after giving 'careful consideration to the matter' they were 'unable to approve a rise'. Bill himself is said to have taken matters into his own paws, and finding the door to the Chancellor's office ajar one day he walked in and exercised some of those blandishments that cats know so well how to use to get their way. Chancellor Philip Snowden — a man noted for his tight- fisted guardianship of public funds — looked at Rufus, and softened.
He turned to his desk and made a note: 'Treasury vote: approve increase in cat's pay.' The budget bill for a 5. Parliament, debated, voted on and passed: and that is how Rufus came to be known thereafter as Treasury Bill. We haven't been able to find out his real name; apparently he was nicknamed the Munich Mouser, somewhat disrespectfully, by Churchill as he was a holdover from former Prime Minister Chamberlain's administration. He was, though, treated with great kindness, as Churchill was very fond of cats. Our photo outside 1. Downing Street, taken from undated newsreel footage but probably around the time of the outbreak of war, may show the Mouser, but we're unable to confirm that; another possibility is that it's Nelson, one of Churchill's own cats, who was black and did spend some time at No.
- An Oregon house cat has been named the world's oldest at the ripe old age of 26.
- A Street Cat Named Bob - short documentary A tale of one man and his cat. Jame has written a book,about his life and bob, 'A street cat named bob'.
At some point there was also Emily of the Home Office, apparently picked up in the street by a charwoman, but who became so wise and engaging that she always sat in at conferences with the Home Secretary. Later there were several Home Office cats called Peter, or Peta (see separate page). And coming right up to contemporary times, it was announced in July 2. Treasury. Eighteen- month- old Gladstone, an all- black former stray from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, was kept inside for his first few weeks and quickly made himself at home. He made great friends with the staff, who keep him supplied with his needs; and he can be tracked with an app which means that people can check on their phone at any time to see where he is! On one occasion the cat got into a fight with a stray moggie, and while trying to part them Mrs Wilson suffered a scratch that turned septic, causing her to miss an official dinner being given for the Italian prime minister.
Nemo used to accompany the Wilsons when they took their annual holiday to the Scilly Isles, off the south- west coast of Cornwall. Wilberforce was just a kitten when he arrived from the Hounslow branch of the RSPCA in 1. Prime Minister Edward Heath's tenure. He was appointed the Office Manager's cat, with a suitable living allowance.
The black- and- white feline proved to be a terrific mouser; he also outlasted several later prime ministers as well as Heath. The policeman on security duty at the front door of Number 1. Wilberforce whenever he wanted to enter (right). Margaret Thatcher is reputed to have bought him a tin of sardines in Moscow when she was visiting a supermarket there. When he made a TV appearance with her, it was Wilberforce who received more fan mail! Thatcher's chief press secretary, Bernard Ingham, said the cat caused him, as an asthmatic, some trouble when he came to work on Monday mornings as Wilberforce 'lounged on my desk over the weekend in between mouse- catching duties'. Wilberforce retired in 1.
No. 1. 0 in the country, where he apparently devoted his time to dominating a large dog! He died in his sleep on 1. May 1. 98. 8 and gained numerous appreciative obituaries in the press. A painting of Wilberforce can be seen at the end of this article.
Photo of Wilberforce above right courtesy of Dave Webster at Flickr where it can be seen full- sized. He was a stray, long- haired, black- and- white cat who became one of the most popular and admired cats in Great Britain. He was found by a member of the Cabinet Office staff (7.
With Bob, Luke Treadaway, Ruta Gedmintas, Joanne Froggatt. Based on the international best selling book. The true feel good story of how James Bowen, a busker and. Here is a list of names of famous people named Bob, as well as normal guys named Bob, from all over the United States and the rest of the world. Londoner James Bowen struggled with homelessness and heroin addiction until life was transformed.
Homeless and a recovering drug addict, James Bowen (Luke Treadaway) is running low on his luck. He’s given a last chance to turn his life around by his support. Bleecker Street is named by and after the Bleecker family because the street ran through the farm of the family. In 1808, Anthony Lispenard Bleecker and his wife.
A Street Cat Named Bob Blog
Whitehall, next to the prime minister's London residence of No. Downing Street) in October 1. Margaret Thatcher's prime ministership, and remained throughout John Major's term in office (one of the few inhabitants of No. Mrs T!). He was about a year old and, following a ballot among staff, was named after Sir Humphrey Appleby in the very popular BBC television comedy show Yes, Minister, and given the official title of Mouser to the Cabinet Office; his food was paid for by the departmental budget. He seemed quite unfazed by photocalls, and paid scant attention to politicians, heads of state or even royalty — it's reported that King Hussein of Jordan was once kept waiting while a police officer removed Humphrey from the welcoming red carpet. He wandered freely between No. Chancellor of the Exchequer, and the adjacent Cabinet Office.
Adventures. His life was not without incident, though, and when US President Bill Clinton came to visit, Humphrey apparently narrowly escaped being run over by the two- ton, armoured, presidential Cadillac, which naturally he had decided to investigate. Then in 1. 99. 4, during John Major's tenure, he was accused of killing baby robins in the No. Major staunchly defended him, saying, 'It is quite certain that Humphrey is not a serial killer.'.
Mr Major had taken George to see some baby robins, but when they got to the nest the birds were dead and seemed to have been abandoned by their parents. It's possible Mr Major himself was inadvertently responsible, by disturbing the parent birds. Humphrey was exonerated.
But in fact he'd wandered about a mile away to the Royal Army Medical College, then at Millbank, where he was presumed to be a stray, taken in and given food and shelter. Some three months later The Times reported that he was probably dead and published an obituary picture — whereupon the medics realised that their 'stray', known as 'PC' ('Patrol Cat'), was actually Humphrey! There was international press coverage and a congratulatory message was received from America's 'First Cat', Socks Clinton. Humphrey resumed his post as First Mouser.
She thought he was a stray and took him home to her apartment in a seventh- floor tower block in Lambeth. But when she took him to the vet for a check- up he was recognised by a member of the public, and when the Cabinet Office was phoned they confirmed that he'd been missing — so Hanni had to return her 'stray'.
And he appeared on the 1. Cabinet Office Christmas cards! Change of government . Cherie Blair was said to dislike cats and to consider them unhygienic: even to be allergic to them. There was a storm of protest and, bowing to pressure, photos of her holding Humphrey were hastily arranged — she didn't look altogether thrilled about it (but then neither did Humphrey) — with a strenuous denial that he would be evicted. However, within six months, on 1. November 1. 99. 7, he had left his prestigious residence.
All kinds of political humour was bandied about.. After eight happy years under the Conservatives, he could take only six months of Labour ..
He'd had a kidney complaint for some time, and his medical advisers felt it would be better for him to retire from his hectic environment and take life more easily in the suburbs. A Conservative member of Parliament asked for proof that the cat was still alive (left), though, and so political journalists took up the case. His new owners were not identified, neither was the location; but they said he was happy, had put on weight, and that they had had no trouble with puddles. Many years later the Blair/Humphrey rumours appeared to be confirmed by former Labour MP Chris Mullin when a volume of his diaries was published in 2. Referring to the photocall shortly after the 1. There have been ugly rumours that the Blairs want him reshuffled, but yesterday's papers are full of pictures of Humphrey with Cherie assuring the world that he is safe in her hands.' A short time later, after a conversation with Mrs Blair, his diary recorded, 'I mentioned that I had seen Humphrey the cat on my visit to Number 1.
So the rumours are true.'Quiet end. After some years of living in retirement, perhaps dreaming of the days when he was on familiar terms with the rich and powerful, it was reported on 2. March 2. 00. 6 that Humphrey had died in his sleep the previous week. He had reached the grand old age of 1. We were sad when Humphrey was 'retired' with the arrival of the Blairs. Humphrey clearly had a much loved and comfortable old age.
We were all sorry to learn, today, of his death, and we shall all remember the Downing Street cat with great affection.'At the beginning of 2. Freedom of Information Act, and these included some of the papers relating to Humphrey, made available by the Cabinet Office as one very large PDF document (may take some time to load in view of its size).