Freya (cat)
{{Short description|Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office from 2012 to 2014}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2016}}
{{Infobox politician
| name = Freya
| image = Freya the cat-20120615 132253 (cropped).jpg
| imagesize =
| alt =
| caption = Freya in 2012
| office = Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office
| term_start = 16 September 2012
| term_end = 9 November 2014
| alongside = Larry
| term_label = In role
| predecessor = Sybil (2009)
| successor = Larry
| blank1 = Gender
| data1 = Female
| birth_date = {{circa|{{Birth-date|April 2009}}}}
| birth_place = London
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=y|2022|08|04|2009|04}}
| death_place = London
| blank2 = Owned by
| data2 = George Osborne
| occupation = Mouser
| blank3 = Namesake
| data3 = Freyja
| monarch = {{plainlist|
}}
| primeminister = {{plainlist|
}}
}}
Freya ({{circa|April 2009}} – 4 August 2022) was a cat who was employed as the Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office from 2012 to 2014 as the pet of the chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, and his family.
In September 2012, Freya shared the role of chief mouser to the Cabinet Office with Larry. In November 2014, she was retired from the position to the Kent countryside but ended up staying in the Oval area of London. She died in August 2022.
Life and career
Freya went missing from the Osbornes' house in Notting Hill when she was just a few months old, and after searching West London for her, the family assumed she had died or had become lost. In June 2012, Osborne's wife Frances received a call telling her that Freya was alive, and the family brought her home.
On 16 September 2012, Nigel Nelson from The People reported that the prime minister, David Cameron, had sacked Larry from his position as chief mouser to the Cabinet Office and installed Freya instead. Nelson claimed that Cameron had become fed up with Larry's laziness.{{cite news |last=Nelson |first=Nigel |date=16 September 2012 |title=Larry the Downing St cat shunted by PM for being a useless mouse catcher |work=The People |publisher=Trinity Mirror |url=http://www.people.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/2012/09/16/larry-the-downing-st-cat-shunted-by-pm-for-being-a-uselss-mouse-catcher-102039-23926241/ |access-date=16 September 2012 |archive-date=3 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130503045459/http://www.people.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/2012/09/16/larry-the-downing-st-cat-shunted-by-pm-for-being-a-uselss-mouse-catcher-102039-23926241/ |url-status=live }} Nelson explained:
{{Blockquote|text=The final straw came on Thursday when Mr Cameron caught Larry cat-napping on his chair in his No.10 study as another mouse scurried across the room. When he tried to wake Larry to do his duty one eye opened but the moggy wouldn't budge.}}
Cameron drafted in Freya to patrol Numbers 10, 11 and 12 Downing Street as she was a "tougher" and a "more street-wise predator." Freya was reported to be the more dominant cat over Larry and a more effective mouser, reportedly because her time as a stray had "hardened" her.{{cite news|last=Parkinson|first=Justin|title=Downing Street denies Cameron and Osborne cat feud|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-19967916|access-date=16 October 2012|newspaper=BBC|date=16 October 2012|archive-date=18 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018033242/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-19967916|url-status=live}}
In October 2012, police had to break up a fight between Larry and Freya outside Number 10.{{Cite news |last=Barkham |first=Patrick |date=17 October 2012 |title=The Downing Street catfight: is there more to it than meets the eye? |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/shortcuts/2012/oct/17/downing-street-catfight-larry-freya |access-date=6 July 2023 |archive-date=7 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230707161723/https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/shortcuts/2012/oct/17/downing-street-catfight-larry-freya |url-status=live }} The Daily Telegraph reported that Freya "appeared to have the best of the confrontation".{{cite news|first=Rosa|last=Prince|title=Police called to break up violent cat fight in Downing Street|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/david-cameron/9611897/Police-called-to-break-up-violent-cat-fight-in-Downing-Street.html|access-date=1 November 2014|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=16 October 2012|archive-date=26 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180126065602/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/david-cameron/9611897/Police-called-to-break-up-violent-cat-fight-in-Downing-Street.html|url-status=live}} The prime minister's spokeswoman stated that Freya and Larry were able to "co-exist" and added that she would not comment further on the two cats' adventures.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-19967916|title=Downing Street denies Cameron and Osborne cat feud|last=Parkinson|first=Justin|date=16 October 2012|work=BBC News|publisher=BBC|access-date=16 October 2012|archive-date=18 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018033242/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-19967916|url-status=live}}
In May 2014, Freya strayed over a mile from Downing Street and had to be rescued and returned by a charity worker.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-27601264|title=George Osborne's cat rescued by homelessness worker|work=BBC News|date=28 May 2014|access-date=30 July 2015|archive-date=1 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201172527/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-27601264|url-status=live}} In August 2014, Freya was hit by a car in Whitehall and was subsequently treated by a vet. Osborne said that he was "very grateful" to those who came to the aid of his pet.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-28710522|title=Chancellor George Osborne's cat Freya hit by car|work=BBC News|date=8 August 2014|access-date=30 July 2015|archive-date=11 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150511101309/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-28710522|url-status=live}} Following these events, Freya was sent to the Kent countryside to allow her to exercise her desire to roam.{{cite news |last1=Dearden |first1=Lizzie |date=9 November 2014 |title=George Osborne's family cat Freya sent away from Downing Street to Kent |work=The Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/george-osborne-s-family-cat-freya-sent-away-downing-street-kent-9849853.html |access-date=13 November 2020 |archive-date=25 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201225005842/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/george-osborne-s-family-cat-freya-sent-away-downing-street-kent-9849853.html |url-status=live }} In February 2015 she moved to the Oval area of London, to live with the Head of Government Hospitality, Robert Alexander.{{cite tweet|number=569444512780713984|user=GHSupremo|title=Newest addition to the Alexander household! Behold!|url=https://twitter.com/GHSupremo/status/569444512780713984}}
Alexander tweeted that Freya died on 4 August 2022, at the age of 13.{{cite tweet|number=1555274926151684096|user=SupremoRobert|title=Lost my beloved Freya today. Her suffering was brief. Her spirit indomitable. Her beauty undiminished. @Number10cat RIP Lady Freya of the Oval (and formerly of Downing Street).|url=https://twitter.com/SupremoRobert/status/1555274926151684096 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240709073446/https://x.com/SupremoRobert/status/1555274926151684096?mx=2 |archive-date=9 July 2024}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Freya (cat)}}
Category:Individual cats in the United Kingdom