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{{short description|British Post Office’s “number one cat“}}{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2016}}

factoids

Tibs the Great (November 1950 – December 1964) was the British Post Office’s “number one cat” and kept the post office headquarters in London completely mouse-free during his 14 years of service. He was the son of Minnie, and on his death, several newspapers ran an obituary.

Background

Cats had been officially employed by the Post Office to catch rodents since September 1868, when three cats were taken on for a six-month trial period at a rate of one shilling per week, in the London Money Order Office.WEB,postalheritage.wordpress.com/2014/07/30/museumcats-day-industrial-chaos-in-the-post-office-cat-world/, #MuseumCats Day: ‘Industrial chaos in the Post Office cat world’, The British Postal Museum & Archive, 30 July 2014, 21 February 2016, On 7 May 1869, it was noted that “the cats have done their duty very efficiently”.WEB,www.telegraph.co.uk/men/the-filter/qi/6729316/QI-quite-interesting-facts-about-keeping-in-touch.html, QI: quite interesting facts about keeping in touch, Molly Oldfield, John Mitchinson, The Daily Telegraph, The Telegraph, 7 December 2009, 21 February 2016, By 1873, the cats were being paid 1s 6d, and cats were being employed in other post offices.

Early life

It is thought that Tibs was born in London in November 1950.WEB,www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/feb/04/royal-mail-secret-railway-reopen-next-year, Royal Mail ‘secret’ railway on track to reopen next year, Maev Kennedy, The Guardian, 4 February 2016, 21 February 2016, His father is unknown. His mother was Minnie, another “fine cat”.

Career

Tibs worked at Post Office Headquarters in London for 14 years, and was officially employed and paid 2s 6d per week. He worked in the basement. He was cared for by Alf Talbut, cleaner at the church of St. Martin’s Le Grand, who had also owned his mother, Minnie. During his 14 years, Tibs kept the Post Office headquarters completely free of mice.In 1952, there was “public outrage” that the cats had not had a pay rise since 1873, and the next year there was a question in the House of Commons, asking the Assistant Postmaster-General, David Gammans, “when the allowance payable for the maintenance of cats in his department was last raised?“Gammans replied,}}He also hastened to assure the House that Post Office cats had “an adequate maternity service”, and that equal pay prevailed in the group.

In media

In 1953, Tibs was featured in a book titled Cockney Cats by Warren Tute and Felix Fonteyn. He also appeared at a “Cats and Film Stars” party.WEB,500years.royalmailgroup.com/gallery/tibs-the-great-is-no-more/, Tibs the Great is no more, Post Office Magazine, January 1965, Celebrating 500 Years of Royal Mail. royalmailgroup.com, 21 February 2016,

Death

Tibs died in December 1964; he had been suffering from oral cancer. He received obituaries in several newspapers. By the time of his death he had grown to {{cvt|23|lb}} in weight, probably due to living in one of the staff dining rooms, rather than from eating rats.WEB,www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/brief-history-post-office-cats-180958061/?no-ist, A Brief History of Post Office Cats, Erin Blakemore, smithsonian.com, 9 February 2016, 21 February 2016, WEB, Bethan Bell,www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-42098216, Bureaucats: The felines with official positions, BBC News, 28 January 2018, The last cat employed at Post Office headquarters was Blackie, who died in 1984, which coincided with cloth sacks being replaced with rodent-resistant plastic sacks.

See also

• Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office
• Stubbs, an American cat appointed honorary mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska
• Tama (cat), Stationmaster of Kishi Station, Wakayama, Japan
• List of individual cats

References

{{Reflist|30em}}

Further reading

• BOOK, Tute, Warren, Felix Fonteyn, 1953, Cockney Cats, London, Museum Press,