No doubt their respective owners would not want comparisons to be drawn.
But the Foreign Office’s pet cat Palmerston has proven himself an adept mouse catcher – outdoing No 10’s Larry.
A bizarre freedom of information (FOI) request has revealed that the feline has caught at least 27 rodents since his adoption.
Their respective owners would not want comparisons to be drawn. But the Foreign Office’s pet cat Palmerston (left) has proven himself an adept mouse catcher – outdoing No 10’s Larry
His rival Larry has a less than formidable reputation. He is more often seen catnapping in the sun and making ill-timed appearances in press photographs.
Earlier this year he was photographed playing with a mouse before allowing it to escape unharmed.
Certainly their bosses – who have been known to occasionally be a bit catty towards each other – would hope for no comparison to their rivalries.
Palmerston has caught dozens of mice in the 16 months since he was adopted from the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.
The information request revealed that the cat, named after former foreign secretary and two-time prime minister Viscount Palmerston, caught at least 27 in that time.
A bizarre freedom of information (FOI) request has revealed that Palmerston has caught at least 27 rodents since his adoption – while Larry (pictured) merely plays with the rodents
In its response to the information request, the FCO said: ‘The FCO does not keep an accurate figure for the amount of mice caught by Palmerston.
‘The PUS’s (Permanent Under-Secretary, Sir Simon McDonald) office do receive reported sightings of Palmerston catching mice – so far (since Palmerston’s arrival in April 2016) this figure is at 27.
‘This figure is likely to be much higher as these are only reported sightings.’
The FOI request also reveals that Palmerston is ‘usually’ fed Whiskas, although much of his food is donated meaning he enjoys a variety of brands.
The FCO said it was unable to provide details of the cost of Palmerston’s care but added the bill was met voluntarily by staff.
Whitehall’s pet cats have generated plenty of headlines since their introductions to the halls of Government.
Certainly the cats’ bosses – Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson (left) and Prime Minister Theresa May (right) – would hope for no comparison to their rivalries
There are now five cats in Westminster: Evie and Ossie, the Cabinet Office cats, Gladstone, Palmerston and Larry.
Also on the street are Rex and Oscar, Philip Hammond’s dogs.
Treasury staff have even started a social media account for their cat Gladstone which features bizarre ‘interviews’ with him.
But unlike his Foreign Office counterpart, he is yet to fulfil his brief – bad news for his boss Chancellor Philip Hammond.
His Instagram biography describes him as ‘the most popular colleague at Her Majesty’s Treasury, where I catch mice and receive cuddles.’
But he doesn’t seem to be all that popular outside No 11 as not a single person follows his account as the story broke.
In the post, the cat – which staff describe as a civil servant – ‘offers’ his political views, which call for ‘strong and sustainable economic growth and sound public finances’.
They say the cat’s spirit animal would be Mark Carney, who has warned against Brexit.
The felines’ bosses have been known to occasionally be a bit catty towards each other
Gladstone is cared for by six members of staff, who all contribute towards his wellbeing and track him on an app.
One member of staff keeps his Instagram up-to-date, posting pictures of the cat and his extensive bow-tie collection.
The story does, however, raise a more serious point about the Freedom of Information Act.
Though officials are happy to provide statistics about mouse catching, they are more reluctant to hand over more important information.
Last year a bid to neuter the act by the NHS, police and town hall bureaucrats was axed following their requests for greater secrecy.
The Government was prompted to look again at the law after the Supreme Court ordered the release of sensitive letters from Prince Charles to ministers giving his views on areas of government policy.
The judges ordered the publication of the ‘black spider letters’ in response to an FoI request, despite the Government wielding its veto over the release.
Currently, if the press or a member of the public applies for a document, and this request is rejected by a public body, they can lodge a series of appeals to the Information Commissioner and tribunals, ending with judges.
Ministers have a veto over the information.
As of last year, the veto has been used seven times since the FoI Act came into force, most notoriously in relation to the release of Cabinet papers on the build-up to the Iraq war.
At one point during an official review of the law, the Russell Group of universities, which represents Oxford, Cambridge and 22 other leading institutions, demanded they should be exempted from the act, because they are private institutions and not public bodies, even though they receive public money.
The group claimed the laws were not fair and undermined efforts to compete with new privately-run higher education colleges, which are not subject to freedom of information laws.