Humphrey, a stray cat who wandered in to the official residence of Britain's prime minister in 1989 and caused a scandal when he "retired" in 1997, has died, a spokesman for British Prime Minister Tony Blair said yesterday.
The black and white one-time "mouser in chief" was perhaps the most famous pet in the UK.
"World of politics mourns a legend," headlined the Sun, Britain's largest circulation daily newspaper.
``Political world mourns a killer named Humphrey,'' the Times said.
"It is true. We learned last week that Humphrey has died," a spokesman confirmed.
He was thought to be 18.
He had wandered into 10 Downing Street under former prime minister Margaret Thatcher and was named in honor of Sir Humphrey Appleby, the civil servant in the sitcom Yes, Minister.
He remained at No. 10 throughout the tenure of former prime minister John Major. But he was sent away to live with a civil servant in "retirement" months after Blair was elected in 1997.
At the time, Conservative opponents accused Blair of having Humphrey put down because his wife Cherie didn't like the cat. Questions were raised. Fur flew.
"Humphrey is now a missing person. Unless I hear from him or he makes a public appearance, I suspect he has been shot," opposition Conservative politician Alan Clark declared at the time.
The government finally arranged for press photos to prove Humphrey was still alive.
He was photographed, hostage-like, with copies of the day's newspapers to show the pictures were fresh.
Blair's office issued a statement saying Cherie was sad to see him go. Officials said he was suffering from a kidney complaint and needed a quieter home in the suburbs.
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