Gladstone (cat)

Gladstone (born c. December 2014) is a British cat who is the resident chief mouser to HM Treasury in Whitehall, London. 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, who served for four separate periods, more than any other Chancellor. Gladstone is responsible for catching mice at the Treasury's 1 Horse Guards Road building.[1]

Gladstone
Gladstone in 2017
Chief Mouser to HM Treasury
Assumed office
28 June 2016
MonarchsElizabeth II
Charles III
Prime MinisterDavid Cameron
Theresa May
Boris Johnson
Liz Truss
Rishi Sunak
ChancellorGeorge Osborne
Philip Hammond
Sajid Javid
Rishi Sunak
Nadhim Zahawi
Kwasi Kwarteng
Jeremy Hunt
Preceded byPosition established
Personal details
Bornc. December 2014 (age 8)
London, England
OccupationMouser

The inception of the position of chief mouser at the Treasury followed the creation of similar positions at 10 Downing Street (Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office) and the Foreign Office; those positions were held by Larry and Palmerston, as of July 2016. The decision to introduce an official mouser was taken by John Kingman, former acting Permanent Secretary at the Treasury. The appointment of Gladstone as "Chief Mouser to the Treasury" was officially announced on 29 July 2016.[2]

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.[3]

Early life
Former chancellor Sajid Javid and Gladstone (2019).

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 for a few weeks.[4] He had been wandering the streets of London, hungry and without a microchip, so that his owners could not be located. At Battersea, he was known as Timmy.[5] 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.[3]

Career

Within 48 hours of moving in, Gladstone made his first catch.[6] Described as "a cold-blooded killer",[7] he went on to register six catches in his first three months in office.[8] 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.[9] His employment is at no cost to taxpayers.[10]

Recognition
Gladstone sitting on a table on 2018 Christmas Eve

On 28 July 2017, Gladstone celebrated his first anniversary at HM Treasury. A few days after his debut on Instagram in July 2016, he had 1,200 followers.[11] As of January 2023, the number is over 22,500, though his Instagram has not seen a new post since February 2020. 'A cat's life – after a year in the spotlight, Gladstone sets the record straight', details his life at the Treasury. As of 28 July 2017, Gladstone's number of mice caught is 22.[12] No update has yet been given on this number.

Gladstone has a social media presence on an official Instagram page, and has been reported on by media outlets as far away as Northern Ireland.[13] A parody account @TreasuryMog, also exists on Twitter.[14][15] He often receives trinkets such as cat toys, Christmas baubles from Brazil,[16] a personalised collar, and a Halloween handmade knitted scarf from Australia.[17] He appeared on the Treasury's official YouTube site, in 'Where's Gladstone Gone?', for 2016's Open House London,[18] which also appeared on Sky News. In March 2017, Gladstone was featured in the London Time Out magazine's 'Pet Power List: definitive guide to the political animals of Westminster'.[19]

See also

References
  1. "Gladstone the cat lands Treasury job". BBC News. 29 July 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
  2. "Gladstone named Treasury's chief mouser amid cat spat". ITV News. 29 July 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
  3. Ashton, Emily (29 July 2016). "Now The Treasury Has Got A Cat And He's Called Gladstone". BuzzFeed.
  4. "Gladstone @treasury_cat Instagram Rescue Story". Archived from the original on 2021-12-26. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
  5. Watts, Joseph (29 July 2016). "Cat's out of the bag as Treasury reveals Whitehall arrival Gladstone". Evening Standard.
  6. "Treasury Life Gladstone, the Treasury cat - One of our newest staff members". Archived from the original on 10 October 2016. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
  7. "REVEALED: Treasury cat Gladstone outed as a 'cold-blooded killer'". Express. Retrieved 8 Jan 2022.
  8. "Mew-turn by Cabinet Office as the government gets two new cats". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 Dec 2016.
  9. "Mew-turn by Cabinet Office as government gets two new cats". Buzzfeed.com. 29 July 2016. Retrieved 9 Dec 2016.
  10. "Now The Treasury Has Got A Cat And He's Called Gladstone". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
  11. "Gladstone the cat gives Treasury some paws for thought". TheGuardian.com. 29 July 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
  12. "Gladstone sets the record straight". Retrieved 28 July 2017.
  13. "The Irish News: Move over dogs at polling stations, because this year cats refuse to be outdone". 8 June 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  14. "Gladstone @TreasuryMog Twitter Page". Retrieved 29 July 2017.
  15. "Official @treasury_cat Instagram: You know you're famous when you already have fake Twitter accounts. *inactive Twitter screen shot @TreasuryMog is correct 2017". Archived from the original on 2021-12-26. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
  16. "@treasury_cat Instagram Brazilian Fan Christmas Gifts". Archived from the original on 2021-12-26. Retrieved 21 Dec 2016.
  17. "@treasury_cat Instagram Australian Fan Halloween Costume". Archived from the original on 2021-12-26. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  18. "Treasury's Youtube: Where's Gladstone gone? 2016 Open House London". YouTube. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  19. "Pet power list: Time Out's definitive guide to the political animals of Westminster". Time Out. 29 March 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
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