Sybil (cat)
| Sybil | |
|---|---|
 Sybil, in her employment as the Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office |
|
| Species | Cat |
| Sex | Female |
| Born | 2006 London, England |
| Died | 27 July 2009 (Aged 3) |
| Nation from | British |
| Occupation | Mouser |
| Employer | Queen Elizabeth II |
| Title | Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office |
| Term | 2007–2009 |
| Predecessor | Humphrey |
| Successor | Larry |
| Owner | Alistair Darling |
| Named after | Sybil Fawlty |
Sybil (2006 – 27 July 2009) was a cat living at 11 and 10 Downing Street. Named after Sybil Fawlty from the TV show Fawlty Towers, she was the pet of former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling.[1]
Confirmation of Sybil's tenure as Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office was given on 11 September 2007 by Gordon Brown's official spokesman, who stated, "I understand the Darlings do have a cat, and the cat has recently been brought to Downing Street... The Prime Minister and Sarah do not have a problem with it. I am sure the cat will appear at some point".[1][2]
Sybil, who was black and white, was the first cat at Downing Street since Humphrey was reportedly removed in 1997 due to Cherie Blair's aversion to cats.[3][4]
Sybil failed to settle in Downing Street and there were rumours that Gordon Brown disliked her. She returned to Edinburgh in early 2009,[5] and died there[6] in July 2009 after a short illness.[7]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Assinder, Nick (11 September 2007). "No 10 gets new feline first lady". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6989055.stm. Retrieved 13 September 2007.
- ^ "Watch out, Brown: there's a new cat in town" (Press release). Agence France-Presse. 12 September 2007. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_kmafp/is_200709/ai_n19508026/. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
- ^ "Trappings of family life threaten Humphrey's patch". Daily Telegraph (London). 6 May 1997. Archived from the original on 27 May 2002. http://web.archive.org/web/20020527032045/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/htmlContent.jhtml?html=/archive/1997/05/06/nlab406.html. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
- ^ Prince, Rosa (12 September 2007). "Downing Street gets new cat". The Daily Mirror. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/2007/09/12/downing-street-gets-new-cat-89520-19776982/. Retrieved 13 September 2007.
- ^ "A Country Life for the No. 10 Cat". The Daily Mail. 30 January 2009. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1132039/A-country-life-No-10-cat.html. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
- ^ McSmith, Andy (29 July 2009). "Farewell to the original New Labour cat". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/farewell-to-the-original-new-labour-cat-1764021.html. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
- ^ Crichton, Torcuil (29 July 2009). "Darling’s cat Sybil dies after a short illness". The Herald. http://www.theherald.co.uk/politics/news/display.var.2522637.0.Darlings_cat_Sybil_dies_after_a_short_illness.php. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
| Vacant
Title last held by
Humphrey |
Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office 2007 – 2008 |
Vacant
Title next held by
Larry |
|
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