Wilberforce (cat)

Wilberforce (c. 1973 – 19 May 1988) was a cat living at 10 Downing Street who was employed as the chief mouser to the Cabinet Office from 1973 to 1987. He served during the premierships of four prime ministers: Edward Heath, Harold Wilson,[note 1] James Callaghan and Margaret Thatcher. In obituaries published shortly after his death, he was described as the "best mouser in Britain".

Wilberforce
Wilberforce in Downing Street
Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office
In role
1973 – 3 April 1987
MonarchElizabeth II
Prime Minister
Preceded byPeta (c. 1976)
Succeeded byHumphrey (1989)
Personal details
Bornc. 1973
Died (aged 15)
Essex, England
OccupationMouser

Early life and career

Wilberforce was an eight-week-old white tabby kitten when adopted from the Hounslow branch of the RSPCA in 1973.[1] He was appointed the Downing Street office manager's cat to deal with a mouse infestation, and given a living allowance. He was named Wilberforce in honour of the English abolitionist William Wilberforce.[1] Downing Street staff would reply to mail sent to him "wanting to know how he was, [wishing] him luck".[2] Despite his role as chief mouser to the Cabinet Office, he rarely visited the Cabinet room, instead preferring the Scottish Office, 11 Downing Street and the Foreign Office.[1]

According to Bernard Ingham, the former Downing Street Press Secretary, Margaret Thatcher once bought Wilberforce "a tin of sardines in a Moscow supermarket",[3] because, according to The Daily Telegraph, "there was nothing else to buy".[4] Wilberforce would regularly sleep on and under Ingham's desk, which irritated Ingham due to his asthma.[5][6] When resident ducks from nearby St James's Park had eggs that were about to hatch, Thatcher "made sure he was kept out of the way".[7][8] During the BBC's coverage of the 1983 general election, Esther Rantzen held Wilberforce and introduced him to viewers.[9] Noting his longevity, in 1985 the Sunday Mirror stated that Wilberforce "seem[ed] to go on forever";[10] in December 1986, anticipating the 1987 general election, the Lincolnshire Echo said this of Wilberforce:

Governments may come and go, prime ministers may pass in the night, but Wilberforce goes on forever, untroubled by the mighty events that go on around her [sic] twitching whiskers.[11]

Retirement and death

Wilberforce retired on 3 April 1987,[3] after 14 years of service under four different prime ministers.[12][13][14] He went to live in Essex with a retired caretaker from Number 10; before his departure, Thatcher gave Wilberforce a leaving gift.[5][2] He died in his sleep on 19 May 1988, aged 15.[2] Upon his death, Edward Heath, who was in Tokyo at the time, said that he was "very sorry that the longest resident has died".[5] Harold Wilson, who had been "extremely fond" of Wilberforce,[1] expressed his regrets; James Callaghan's wife Audrey was reportedly "shocked".[note 2][5] Thatcher was given the news of his death at the end of the daily Cabinet meeting, and stated that she was "very sad".[15] In various newspaper stories and obituaries covering his death, Wilberforce was described as the "best mouser in Britain".[14][16] He was buried near his retirement home.[2]

See also

References

Notes
  1. Wilberforce served during Wilson's second term.
  2. Callaghan was flying back to Britain from Moscow that night, and was unaware of Wilberforce's death.

Citations
  1. Kidder, Rushworth M. (3 July 1980). "Wilberforce at No. 10 is a premier cat". The Christian Science Monitor. Archived from the original on 26 June 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  2. "Wilberforce the cat, mouser to 4 British leaders, dead at 15". Los Angeles Times. 20 May 1988. Archived from the original on 19 March 2017. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
  3. Choron, Sandra; Choron, Harry; Moore, Arden (2007). Planet Cat: A Cat-Alog. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 126. ISBN 978-0618812592. Archived from the original on 26 June 2023. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  4. Pierce, Andrew (28 July 2009). "Downing Street cat Sybil dies". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  5. Langdon, Julia (20 May 1988). "Wilberforce is dead". Daily Mirror. p. 7. Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  6. "Obituary: Sir Bernard Ingham". BBC News. 24 February 2023. Archived from the original on 15 June 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  7. Shaw, John (28 May 1988). "Mrs Thatcher splashes out on duck pond". The Daily Telegraph. p. 3. Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  8. "After death of No 10 cat, a duck rules the roost". Western Daily Press. 28 May 1988. p. 9. Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  9. "Election 83". BBC One. 9 June 1983.
  10. "All the Queen's men.". Sunday Mirror. 8 December 1985. p. 8. Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  11. Moncrieff, Chris (31 December 1986). "Will she won't she?". Lincolnshire Echo. p. 10. Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  12. Carey, M. F. (25 May 1988). "Vermin at No. 10". The Daily Telegraph. p. 18. Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  13. Morris, Nigel (12 September 2007). "Introducing Sybil, Downing Street's first cat for a decade". The Independent. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  14. "Parliament & Politics". The Daily Telegraph. 20 May 1988. p. 15. Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  15. "PM 'sad' at cat's death". Daily Post. 20 May 1988. p. 5. Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  16. "Alas, Great Britain's 'best mouser' dead". USA Today. 20 May 1988. Archived from the original on 4 January 2013. Retrieved 18 February 2016.

Further reading
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