The British government has kept a cat on the payroll since 1929

The British government has quietly maintained an official cat since nineteen twenty-nine, per Boing Boing. The role originated when a Treasury official authorized daily funds for 'an efficient cat' at Number Ten Downing Street, prompted by rats appearing on television at the building's entrance. The position later received the formal title Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office, and Larry—a rescue cat selected by David Cameron's family in twenty eleven—is the first to hold it officially.

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