Wilberforce (cat)

The cat Wilberforce (*?, † 1988) was from 1973 to 3 April 1987 as Chief Mouser in Downing Street. 10 responsible for keeping the mice population as low as possible.

Life and work

Overall, the British government supplied the 20th century nearly 100 cats and cat as civil servants to keep the government building free of rodents. Wilberforce is best known for the longest " office " of all.

Wilberforce, named after British parliamentarian William Wilberforce (1759-1833), in 1973 came to 10 Downing Street; He was a gift from the Royal Society of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ( RSPCA ) to Edward Heath. The cat served as Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office by Heath still three other British Prime Ministers: Harold Wilson, James Callaghan and Margaret Thatcher. The press kolportierte the anecdote, Thatcher had the hangover from Moscow brought a can of sardines, supposedly because it had been there to buy anything else.

Wilberforce was incorporated in 1987 " retired " and died in 1988. His successor was the cat Humphrey. The band Wilberforce the Band, founded in 1987, appealed to the Chief Mouser as a name.