Gladstone (cat)

Gladstone is the resident Chief Mouser of HM Treasury at Whitehall, London. He is a domestic short-haired cat, who, at eighteen months old, assumed the position of Chief Mouser in late June 2016. Previously, he was from Battersea Dogs & Cats Home and is named after the former Chancellor and Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone. He was brought in to help control mice at the Treasury's 1 Horse Guards Road building.

The inception of the position of Chief Mouser at the Treasury follows the inception of similar positions at Number 10 and the Foreign Office, with those positions being held by Larry and Palmerston, as of July 2016. The decision to introduce an official mouser was taken by John Kingman, former acting Permanent Secretary at the Treasury. The appointment of Gladstone as "Chief Mouser to the Treasury" was officially announced on 29 July 2016. He is a former stray who was picked up in London in May 2016 and taken to Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, where he was known as Timmy. While there, he was given a special activity feeder because of his habit to eat too quickly.

Gladstone was taken to his new home at the Treasury in late June 2016, but the fallout from the referendum on European Union membership delayed the public announcement until late July. For his first few weeks at the Treasury, Gladstone was confined to an office in the Treasury building, but it is expected he will be fitted with a tracking device and be allowed to freely roam throughout the Treasury estate. Food and upkeep for Gladstone is being paid for by Treasury staff who all pay a small amount towards the total for his upkeep. At weekends, the Treasury's facilities and security team look after his domestic needs and personal protection.