Humphrey

Humphrey (born c. 1986 - 1988) was a cat employed at 10 Downing Street from February 12, 1990 to November 13, 1997. Humphrey was found as a feral stray by a 10 Downing Street civil servant, and named in honour of Sir Humphrey Appleby, the archetypal civil servant of Yes, Minister. He worked catching mice and rats in the maze of buildings dating back to the eighteenth century at Downing Street, frequently being pictured posing by the front door. The poor quality of some of the buildings and the nearby St. James's Park ensures a continuous vermin problem. He was accused on June 7, 1994 of having killed four robin chicks which were nesting in a window box outside the office of John Major, then Prime Minister. However Major exonerated him the next day, declaring "I am afraid Humphrey has been falsely accused". In July 1995 Humphrey went missing. On September 25 the Prime Minister's press office announced his presumed death. The publicity led to his rediscovery in the nearby Royal Army Medical College, where he had been taken in as a presumed stray. Humphrey's retirement was announced on November 13, 1997, shortly after Tony Blair became Prime Minister. There were several press reports that Cherie Blair considered cats unclean, which were not allayed by a posed photograph of Cherie and Humphrey. There was even speculation that Humphrey had been put down on Cherie's orders, which led to a press conference at which the retired Humphrey was produced safe and well. Category:Historical cats