Gladstone named after former Prime Minister
Her Majesty's Treasury has adopted a new cat to help conquer the menacing mouse problem at Westminster.
Joining Downing Street's Larry and the Foreign Office cat Palmerston, Gladstone is the third moggie to be adopted from Battersea Dogs & Cats Home.
The one-year-old domestic shorthair was found wandering the streets of London earlier this year, hungry and with no microchip.
"We are thrilled that Gladstone has now taken up residence in the Treasury and have high hopes that he'll be ready to take on the gardens of the Horse Guard Road offices," said Lindsay Quinlan, Battersea's head of catteries.
"He's a confident cat who absolutely loves people so he'll have to tear himself away from his cat cuddles to get down to business becoming a marvellous mouser," she adds.
Gladstone is named after Wiliam Ewart Gladstone who provoked strong reactions and served as Prime Minister for four separate periods - more than any other Prime Minister.
When he is not polishing his whiskers and stalking the corridors for mice, Gladstone can now look forward to greeting visitors and pawing over pound signs.
A Treasury spokesperson said: "We are confident that Gladstone will live up to the legacy of his namesake and go down in history as one of the most impressive cats to roam Whitehall".
The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has updated its online reporting service for dead wild birds.
