We are absolutely
thrilled to have been invited to exhibit in the ‘Market Place’ at this years’
Conservative Party Conference in Manchester Central in September this year!
We have been given
this very unique opportunity, intended to assist small businesses like mine to
find new customers and advertise to a large audience. I’m so grateful to have
been selected to be involved.
We are quite
likely to meet the Prime Minister David Cameron, which would be wonderful for
Barkitty, and also for us! I will have to see if he’d like some treats to take
back to No 10’s resident rat-catcher, Larry.
The text below is taken from Wikipedia and I thought it was so funny I had
to include it!
Larry is a rescue cat from the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home and was chosen by Downing
Street staff. Media speculation had raised the
possibility of a new feline arriving in Downing Street after rats had been seen
on two occasions behind television news correspondents reporting live, with a Downing Street "pro-cat faction" having
apparently won the argument. The cat is also intended to be a pet for the
children of David and Samantha
Cameron. He
immediately courted controversy as whilst being asked to pose for a news item
Larry lashed out at ITV News reporter Lucy Manning.
He has been described by Downing Street sources as a "good ratter" and
as having "a high chase-drive and hunting instinct". Soon after he was taken in at Downing Street, a story ran in the press claiming that
Larry was a lost cat and that the original owner had started a campaign to
retrieve him. However, the story
was later revealed to be a hoax, and no such owner nor campaign existed. David Cameron has said that Larry is a
"bit nervous" around men, speculating that, since Larry was a rescue
cat, this may be due to negative experiences in his past. Cameron mentioned
U.S. President Barack Obama is an apparent exception to this fear
saying, "Funnily enough he liked Obama. Obama gave him a stroke and he was
all right with Obama." Unlike
his predecessors since 1929, Larry's upkeep is not funded by tax payers but
paid for by the staff of 10
Downing Street. Fund
raising events to pay for his food are believed to have included a quiz night
for Downing Street staff held in the state
rooms. Larry's exploits and observations on life at Number 10 have
now become the subject of a weekly cartoon in The Sunday Express drawn by cartoonist Ted Harrison.
In late February 2011, it was
reported that anonymous sources were briefing against Larry saying "there
is a distinct lack of killer instinct." However,
a senior Downing Street spokesman said that it
was too early to make judgements and that Larry hadn't even been taken to visit
his main work area in case he ran away. He
finally made his first kill – a mouse – on 22 April 2011.On 9 September 2011,
Larry was spotted swiping at a mouse, known as "Mandy", who then
escaped under a bush. On 14
November 2011, Larry's position came under pressure, as it emerged that he was
spending more time sleeping, and spending time in the company of a female cat,
Maisie, than actually hunting for
mice. The cat's position was said to be "unassailable", even though
it emerged that the Prime Minister had resorted to throwing a piece of cutlery
at a mouse during a cabinet dinner, in an ineffectual attempt to kill it. The Prime Minister's spokesman
rejected calls for Larry's resignation, stating that "Larry brings a lot
of pleasure to a lot of people". On
16 November 2011, Larry courted further controversy by sleeping for several
hours as the entire cabinet traipsed in and out of Downing
Street for a meeting. Larry's aides initially prevented
photographers from taking pictures to prevent Larry further embarrassment, but
later relented. On 27 November
2011 it was reported that Larry had been banned from the Prime Minister's
quarters in 10 Downing Street
as his fur was ruining the Prime Minister's fresh suits.
On 15 February 2012, a party was
held in Larry's honour to celebrate his first year in the office of Chief
Mouser. His press officer
defended Larry's arguably poor performance in his first year by reminding the
public that as well as being Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office, "Larry
spends his days greeting guests to the house, inspecting security defences, and
testing antique furniture for napping quality". Larry was also credited
that "He has captured the hearts of the Great British public and the press
teams often camped outside the front door. In turn the nation sends him gifts
and treats daily". At the same time the press officer continued that
"his day to day responsibilities also include contemplating a solution to
the mouse occupancy of the house, Larry says this is still 'in tactical
planning stage'". Also,
coinciding with his first anniversary, Battersea Dogs and Cats Home revealed that Larry's popularity had
resulted in a surge of 15% more people adopting cats.
On 24 April 2012, Larry returned to
the news for his antics while waiting to be admitted to 10 Downing Street, and during the summer was featured in
the newspapers on more than one occasion, with photographs showing him
sleeping. Larry threw himself
wholeheartedly into the celebrations of the Diamond
Jubilee of Elizabeth
II, taking a particular interest
in the bunting decorating 10
Downing Street in June. On 24 June, George
Osborne was reunited with his long lost cat Freya, who moved into 11 Downing Street. Freya and Larry are
reported to have rapidly established cordial relations.
On 28 August 2012, to wide acclaim,
Larry made his first killing of a mouse in public, dumping the corpse on the
lawn in front of Number 10 to garner maximum publicity. In the September 2012 cabinet
reshuffle, it was reported that Larry had retained his position as Chief Mouser
to the Cabinet Office. However,
the reprieve seemed short-lived as Larry was reported to have been sacked and
replaced by Freya, but despite
this on 26 September Larry took shelter in the door of 10 Downing Street from the autumnal
storms.
The confrontation with Freya over
the prestigious chief mouser position came to a head in October as the two cats
had a violent fight that had to be broken up by the police. Freya was reported to be the more
dominant cat and more effective mouser, reportedly because her days as a stray
had "hardened" her. However,
Larry's spokeswoman insisted that the two tabbies were able to "co-exist". Larry got into the Christmas spirit on
5 December while he was sitting next to the Dementia Friends bauble and later
playing with it. On 21 December
Larry continued his festive celebrations by wearing a Santa hat.
On February 15, 2013, Larry's birthday
was celebrated. It was also announced that Larry is supporting ZSL London Zoo's campaign to support Sumatran tiger
conservation, and was pictured with a tiger cat toy along with a birthday card
from ZSL London
Zoo. A week later, a cat-proof
barrier was erected to prevent Larry and his neighbour Freya from getting into
the Foreign Office,however public pressure forced William Hague to order that the barrier be
demolished.
So bring on
September, 2013 is shaping up to be an excellent year!
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