Peta (cat)
Peta | |
|---|---|
| Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office | |
| In office 1964–c. 1976 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Prime Minister | Alec Douglas-Home Harold Wilson Edward Heath |
| Preceded by | Peter III |
| Succeeded by | Wilberforce |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Isle of Man |
| Nationality | Manx |
| Residence | 10 Downing Street |
| Occupation | Mouser |
| Gender | Female |
Manninagh KateDhu,[1] commonly known as Peta, was the Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office of the United Kingdom government between 1964 and sometime between 1969 and 1976, and was the first female cat in that role. She became the replacement to Peter III, who had died at the age of 16 in 1964.[2] After Peter III's death, the Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man, Sir Ronald Garvey, suggested that a Manx cat be his replacement, and sent Peta to the Cabinet. She was noted to be lazy and loud, and by 1969, some civil servants tried to remove her from Cabinet, but this did not happen, because of the suspected bad publicity that this action would incur.[1] She was not heard of again, until a reply to a member of the public in 1976 revealed that she had retired to the home of a civil servant.[3] Her successor was Wilberforce, who became the next Chief Mouser in the 1970s.[4]
References
- ^ a b "Peter, the British Home Office Cat(s)". Purr-n-Fur UK. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
- ^ Campbell, Mel (19 May 2010). "'Miaow, Prime Minister': the bureaucats of Downing Street". Crikey. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
- ^ "Home Office cat history revealed". BBC NEWS. 4 January 2005. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
- ^ Lewis, Danny (14 July 2016). "10 Downing Street's "Chief Mouser" Is Keeping His Job Despite Brexit". Smithsonian. Retrieved 16 July 2016.