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Westminster welcomes third Battersea mouser
Gladstone
Gladstone can look forward to greeting visitors and pawing over pound signs.

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".

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Antibiotic Amnesty survey opens

News Story 1
 The Responsible Use of Medicines Alliance - Companion Animal and Equine (RUMA - CA&E) has launched a survey which seeks to measure the success of this year's Antibiotic Amnesty campaign.

Its results will help the group to calculate how many unused or out-of-date antibiotics were returned as part of the campaign throughout November. Practices are also asked how they engaged with clients to raise awareness of the issue.

Participating practices can enter a prize draw to win up to 100 in vouchers for taking part. Further prizes from BSAVA and Webinar Vet will be available for practices with the best input.

The survey takes a few minutes to complete and will be running throughout December. It can be accessed via this link

Click here for more...
News Shorts
Bluetongue cases lead to restricted zone extension

Following the detection of new cases of bluetongue virus serotype 3 (BTV-3), the restricted zone has been extended to include additional parts of Hampshire, Wiltshire, Oxfordshire and North Yorkshire, as well as Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole and part of Dorset.

The zone now covers 28 counties and unitary authorities in England. As of 16 December, 185 cases of BTV-3 have been confirmed in England and Wales during the current vector period.

Bluetongue is a notifiable disease. Suspected cases must be reported on 03000 200 301 in England or 03003 038 268 in Wales. In Scotland, suspected cases should be reported to the local field services office. Suspected cases in Northern Ireland should be reported to the DAERA Helpline on 0300 200 7840 or by contacting the local DAERA Direct Veterinary Office.

A map of the area where movement restrictions apply can be found here.