Napcatcher rather than ratcatcher: Larry the Downing Street cat shows 'no interest' in going after the rodents

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Napcatcher: Photographers had to wait 45 minutes to meet the new recruit when he arrived - because he was asleep


Larry the Downing Street cat may have been brought in to catch the rats but he has spent his days curled up asleep, it has been claimed.

The tabby was expected to go chasing after the rodents who have been seen scuttling down the street during television reports - but he's shown no interest in going after them.

Within hours of arriving at No 10 he had courted controversy by taking a swipe at ITV News reporter Lucy Manning when they tried to get him to pose for an item.

And he kept waiting reporters and photographers waiting for 45 when he was unveiled as the new pet because he was asleep.

The cat has also apparently covered the Prime Minister's suits with fur and has dug his claws in when sat on members of staff.

He's got a long way to go until he has the fierce reputation of Harry - Downing Street's first official moggy who arrived when Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister.

The animal - who also served under Thatcher and Blair - acquired a fearsome reputation after being falsely accused of killing a family of robins in the garden.
He was known to energetically catch the rats.

Despite Larry's failure to deal with the pest problem, Downing Street's newest resident has quickly become popular among the staff.

A source told the Independent on Sunday: 'He has shown no interest in the many mice in Downing Street. There's a distinct lack of a killer instinct.'


Taking over the cabinet: Larry wanders across the table in the Cabinet Room at No 10


Rat catcher: Larry was brought in to get the Downing Street rat which appeared in Lucy Manning's report


The four-year-old cat arrived from Battersea Dogs and Cats home three weeks ago has apparently made several bids for freedom.

His former keepers at the rescue centre have recommended that he is not let out for at least three weeks until he becomes fully acclimatised to his new surroundings.
But as David Cameron posed on the steps outside with Kevin Spacey, Larry made a bid for freedom.

In between his frequent naps, the cat dines out not on taxpayer-funded meals - but dishes paid for by the Prime Minister's own staff.
With George Osborne clamping down on public spending, there is no room for a pet paid for by the public in No 10.

He arrived on February 15 - just days after a spokesman said on January 24 that there were 'no plans' for a cat to move in.


Arrival: Larry is carried in to No 10 for the first time earlier this month


The four-year-old tabby has apparently shown no interest in going after the rodents in Downing Street

source: dailymail

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He's one cool cat: Jimmy's party trick gets a big thumbs-up

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Jimmy the cat stars in a YouTube video in which a woman with a British accent asks him to give her the thumbs up


Jimmy the cat has an amazing party trick.

In a YouTube video a woman's voice can be heard saying: 'Hi Jimmy. Can you give me a thumbs-up, Jimmy?'

And then the woman and a man are heard laughing as Jimmy obliges and sticks his 'thumb' up.

The description attached to the video says: 'Jimmy is a polydactyl cat. He's probably the laziest cat in the world but he's also super clever and has thumbs. And he's got a great party trick :-)'

Jimmy has polydactyly, which means he has extra digits, a physical anomaly that's sometimes caused by a genetic defect.

Polydactyl cats are fairly common in some parts of New England in the U.S. and they are sometimes called Hemingway cats, because the writer Ernest Hemingway grew to love them after being given a six-toed cat.

The Guinness World Record holder for the cat with the most digits is Jake, a cat from Ontario, Canada, which has 27 digits. The unofficial record goes to Bandit, a 29-toed cat from Hoboken, U.S. Bandit is owned by Beth Stuart, who is in the process of applying for recognition.




source: dailymail

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But that’s my auntie's cat: Man's claim on 'stray' No 10 ratcatcher (… and there’s a Facebook campaign to get him back)

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Strikingly similar: Ms Sutcliffe took the picture of Jo the cat on the left before he disappeared, while the right hand picture is of Larry at Downing Street


His appointment to catch rats in the corridors of power made headlines around the world.

But it appears that Number 10's newest addition Larry the cat has already had one loving owner, who was left devastated when he ran away last October.

Margaret Sutcliffe adopted a stray cat two years ago who looks strikingly similar to the Downing Street moggy who moved in last month.

Now her nephew Tim has started a campaign to get him back, and is using Facebook to urge people to contact David Cameron by email.

Mr Sutcliffe opened the webpage on Sunday to campaign for the cat's safe return to his aunt, who lives in Bermondsey, London.

Currently 482 members have joined the group, with several confirming via the page that they had contacted the Prime Minister demanding his return.

Using the group's description, Mr Sutcliffe claims that the cat's ratcatching skills were honed in the flats where Ms Sutcliffe lives.


Distraught: Margaret Sutcliffe has been left 'devastated' by the cat's disappearance and said 'she nearly died' when she saw him at Downing Street


He adds that the cat wouldn't let anyone hold him except his aunt, showing much the same character traits that saw Larry attack an ITV news team.

Mr Sutcliffe continues that he believed the cat ended up at Battersea Cats Home, before it was re-homed to Downing Street.

Posting on the wall of the group, Ms Sutcliffe wrote: 'I'm overwhelmed by all these messages. I just wish they'd see sense and send Jo home.

'I still can't believe that my Jo has ended up being taken into Downing Street. I nearly died when I saw him in the papers.


Campaign: The 'Free Jo the Cat from Downing Street' Facebook page set up by Tim Sutcliffe


'He never let anyone hold him except me, so I'm not surprised he scratched those journalists!

'It sickens me that David Cameron isn't satisfied with cutting all our services and hiking up the VAT... he's taking our pets as well!

'I've just found some of his cat hair on the sofa, so we can prove it's Jo with a DNA test if we have to.'

The animal's rise to fame after he was bought in to catch a rat who appeared on the doorstep during a live broadcast during ITV's News at Ten.

He is the first cat in Downing Street since Humphrey, who was banished when Cherie Blair moved into the home in 1997.


New home: Larry walks across the Cabinet room table where the Conservative and Liberal Democrat ministers hold their discussions

source: dailymail

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Is this the loudest cat in the world? Meet Smokey whose purr is as noisy as a Boeing 737

By ANDREW LEVY

Deafening: Smokey the cat's purrs average an astonishing 80 decibels - more than THREE times louder than most cats


For cat lovers, there is nothing more soothing than the sound of their pet purring with contentment.

But when Smokey kicks off, it’s time to reach for the ear plugs.

The sound she produces can reach an incredible 92 decibels – the same a
s you’d experience watching a Boeing 737 coming in to land.

Even from five feet away the level is 80 decibels, the same as a car passing 25ft away. Most cats produce around 25 decibels.

Owners Ruth and Mark Adams say the 12-year-old British Shorthair can drown out TV and radio shows and phone conversations with her ‘cooing purr’ which they describe as ‘sounding as if she has a dove stuck in her throat’.

Mrs Adams, from Pitsford, Northampton, said: ‘She even manages to purr while she eats. The only time she is quiet is when she is asleep.

'It’s either adorable or annoying, depending on what mood you’re in. You don’t even have to stroke her to start a purring session. Often she’ll do it for no reason.’

Guinness World Records said it had a category in place for noisiest cat but no entries yet. A spokesman said: ‘If Smokey can purr at over 80dB it would be an astonishing feat.’


Record breaker: Owner Ruth Adams has submitted an application for Smokey's piercing purrs to the Guinness World Records


Diana Johnson, of Northampton Cats Protection, who has met Smokey, said: 'I have never heard anything like her purr in my life. It can drown out your conversation.

'It is very unusual and I've never found a cat with a purr that is anywhere near as loud.'

Smokey has become an honorary volunteer for Cat Protection's Northampton branch and is helping to raise awareness of the important cat welfare work they do.



source: dailymail

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Mewdini: The feline escape artist who just loves nothing more than a tight squeeze

By MAIL FOREIGN SERVICE


In a pickle: Ksyusha the kitten loves nothing more than a tight squeeze


You've heard of the cat in the hat. Now meet the cat in the vat.

It certainly seems that Ksyusha the kitten has got herself into an impossibly tight spot.

But according to her owner she has no problem escaping the glass container, rather like a feline Houdini.


Playful: The excitable female kitten has been squashing itself into jars from when it was a few weeks old


Cute: The cat's owner has been taking photos of her animal and posting them on the internet since the start of last year


‘It looks like she is stuck, but actually her body is not as big as it looks because of the large amount of fur,’ said Yuriy Korotun, who lives in Moscow.

‘She likes hiding in different places and is full of character.’


In a spin: The female kitten has been always been playful, according to her owner


Mischievous: Ksyusha plays with a chair leg


Yuriy said he first realised his pet, a Himalayan breed similar to a Persian, had a love of confined spaces when he heard a commotion in her kitchen one day.

‘I came in to find her in the jar,’ he said. ‘I couldn’t believe my eyes.’

She is also partial to curling up in the washing machine, said Yuriy, who has posted pictures of Ksyusha on the internet.


Similar: Ksyusha's ability to get in and out of seemingly impossible situations harks back to the comedy capers seen in classic kids' cartoon Tom & Jerry


Korotun got the shock of his life one day when he heard some commotion in his kitchen and discovered the fun-loving feline with more than her paws in the jar.

Her ability to get in and out of seemingly impossible situations harks back to the comedy capers seen in classic kids' cartoon Tom and Jerry.

source: dailymail

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