The London Post Office hired cats in 1868 to reduce the rat population in their money order office. They were paid one shilling a week, and their wages increased to one shilling and sixpence in 1869. The most famous cat was Tibs the Great, who kept Royal Mail HQ rat-free for 14 years. The last cat, Blackie, died in 1984. An exhibition at the Postal Museum in London paid tribute to these cats in 2016.
Do you have a problem with mice? Rent a cat. This is what the London Post Office did in September 1868 when rodents began invading its money order office. Three cats were officially hired that year to search and destroy by the Postmaster General, who decided to see if a feline force could reduce the rat population. But they didn’t work for free. They were hired at the rate of one shilling a week. In 1869 the Post Office cats were noted to have “done their duty very efficiently” and their wages were increased to one shilling and sixpence. Naturally, these civil servants also earned Royal Mail pensions. Over the next century, a succession of hard-working and well-paid cats would continue to roam the British post offices.
Their designated shifts:
The Post Office’s most famous cat was to be Tibs the Great, a 23-pound (10.4 kg) hitman who kept Royal Mail HQ rat-free for 14 years. Tibs died in 1964, fat and happy.
The last crime-fighting kitty at the London headquarters was Blackie, who died in 1984. His death coincided with the postal service’s switch from cloth mail bags to rodent-resistant plastic sacks.
In 2016, an exhibition at the Postal Museum in London paid tribute to these indispensable feline employees with awe-inspiring historical display.
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