Peta (cat)

Manninagh KateDhu,[1] commonly known as Peta (1963/64 – early 1980), was the Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office of the United Kingdom government between 1964 and c. 1976, and was the first female cat in that role. She became the replacement of Peter III, who had died at the age of 16 in 1964.[2]

Peta
Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office
Held title 7 May 1964 – c. 1976
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Prime Minister	Alec Douglas-Home Harold Wilson Edward Heath
Preceded by	Peter III
Succeeded by	Wilberforce
Personal details
Born	1963 or 1964 Isle of Man
Died	early 1980 (aged 16–18)
Residence	10 Downing Street
Occupation	Mouser
Gender	Female

After Peter III's death, the Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man, Sir Ronald Garvey, suggested that a Manx cat be his replacement, and sent Peta to the Cabinet. She was noted to be lazy and loud, and not toilet trained.[3] By 1969, some civil servants had tried to remove her from Cabinet, but this did not happen, because of the suspected bad publicity that this action would incur.[1] She was not heard of again, until a reply to a member of the public in 1976 revealed that she had retired to the home of a civil servant.[3] Her successor was Wilberforce, who became the next Chief Mouser in the 1970s.[4]