Gladstone is a British cat who is the resident chief mouser to

HM Treasury His Majesty's Treasury (HM Treasury), occasionally referred to as the Exchequer, or more informally the Treasury, is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for developing and executing the government's public finance policy and eco ...

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. He is a domestic short-haired cat, who, at eighteen months old, assumed the position of chief mouser in late June 2016. Gladstone's political namesake is former Chancellor and Prime Minister

William Ewart Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-conse ...

, who served for four separate periods, more than any other Chancellor. Gladstone is responsible for catching mice at the Treasury's 1

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building. The inception of the position of chief mouser at the Treasury followed the creation of similar positions at

10 Downing Street 10 Downing Street in London, also known colloquially in the United Kingdom as Number 10, is the official residence and executive office of the first lord of the treasury, usually, by convention, the prime minister of the United Kingdom. Along wi ...

(Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office) and the

Foreign Office Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * United S ...

; those positions were held by Larry and

Palmerston Palmerston may refer to: People * Christie Palmerston (c. 1851–1897), Australian explorer * Several prominent people have borne the title of Viscount Palmerston ** Henry Temple, 1st Viscount Palmerston (c. 1673–1757), Irish nobleman and ...

, as of July 2016. The decision to introduce an official mouser was taken by

John Kingman __NOTOC__ Sir John Frank Charles Kingman (born 28 August 1939) is a British mathematician. He served as N. M. Rothschild and Sons Professor of Mathematical Sciences and Director of the Isaac Newton Institute at the University of Cambridge fr ...

, former acting Permanent Secretary at the Treasury. The appointment of Gladstone as "Chief Mouser to the Treasury" was officially announced on 29 July 2016. Gladstone was taken to his new home at the Treasury in late June 2016, but the fallout from the referendum on European Union membership delayed the public announcement until late July.

Early life

Gladstone was brought in by a staff member of Battersea Dogs & Cats Home Lost and Found team in May 2016 as a neglected stray, after trying to get into his

cat flap A pet door or pet flap (also referred to in more specific terms, such as cat flap, cat door, kitty door, dog flap, dog door, or doggy/doggie door) is a small opening to allow pets to enter and exit a building on their own without needing a human t ...

for a few weeks. He had been wandering the streets of London, hungry and without a

microchip An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit (also referred to as an IC, a chip, or a microchip) is a set of electronic circuits on one small flat piece (or "chip") of semiconductor material, usually silicon. Transistor count, Large ...

, so that his owners could not be located. At Battersea, he was known as Timmy. Like many homeless cats without daily access to food and water, he would eat too much, too quickly. A special activity puzzle feeder remedied this issue.

Career

Within 48 hours of moving in, Gladstone made his first catch. Described as "a cold-blooded killer", he went on to register six catches in his first three months in office. Food for Gladstone is taken care of by Treasury staff, who volunteer the modest sums required for his daily needs. At weekends, the Treasury's facilities and security team look after his domestic needs and personal protection. His employment is at no cost to taxpayers.

Recognition

HM Treasury and Gladstone wish everyone a merry X'mas

On 28 July 2017, Gladstone celebrated his first anniversary at

. A few days after his debut on Instagram in July 2016, he had 1,200 followers. 103 picture posts later; currently the number is over 10,000. 'A cat's life – after a year in the spotlight, Gladstone sets the record straight', details his life at the Treasury. To date, Gladstone's number of mice caught is 22.

In popular culture

Gladstone has a social media presence on an official

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page, and has been reported on by media outlets as far away as

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. A parody account @TreasuryMog, also exists on Twitter. He often receives trinkets such as cat toys,

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...

baubles from Brazil, a personalised collar, and a

Halloween Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observan ...

handmade knitted scarf from Australia. He appeared on the Treasury's official YouTube site, in 'Where's Gladstone Gone?', for 2016's Open House London, which also appeared on

Sky News Sky News is a British free-to-air television news channel and organisation. Sky News is distributed via an English-language radio news service, and through online channels. It is owned by Sky Group, a division of Comcast. John Ryley is the he ...

. In March 2017, Gladstone was featured in the London '' Time Out'' magazine's 'Pet Power List: definitive guide to the political animals of

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bucki ...

External links

A cat's life - after a year in the spotlight, Gladstone sets the record straight

'Where's Gladstone Gone?' 2016 Open House London Official Video

Gladstone the Cat Becomes 'Chief Mouser' for the Treasury Video

Gladstone's Official Instagram Page (@treasury_cat)

HM Treasury Officially Announces Newest Staff Member

Pet power list: Time Out's definitive guide to the political animals of Westminster

References