Purrfect Ending For Humphrey
Humphrey the Downing Street cat is staying put - with the official approval of the 'First Lady' Cherie Blair.
His future appeared in jeopardy after reports that Mrs Blair believed cats were unhygienic and rumours that she wanted Humphrey to go.
But in a perfect ending, a spokeswoman at No 10 Downing Street has comfirmed that Humphrey will definitely be staying.
Ironically, it is the Blairs who have been forced out of Number 10. The Prime Minister and his wife and their three children have moved into Number 11 because the private flat next door is too small and cramped for the family.
"We have been inundated with calls and letters following mistaken reports that Cherie Blair does not want Humphrey the cat in Downing Street and one of the first things the children wanted to see when they moved into number 11 on Monday was Humphrey," said the spokesman.
"This is nonsense, as is the report that she is allergic to cats. Cherie and her sister had both a cat and a dog when they were growing up," he said. "This is Humphrey's home and as far as the Blairs are concerned it will remain his home."
The animal, probably the most powerful cat in Britain, will continue to live in the Cabinet office and be able to prowl the corridors of power.
Humphrey was a stray who wandered in off the street in 1989 and became a family pet of John and Norma Major.
The cat went missing, presumed dead, two years ago before returning to claim his rightful places in the Cabinet Office and the grille next to the front door of Number 10, where he regularly has a daytime nap.
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