Tibs the Great facts for kids
Tibs in 1953
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| Other name(s) | Tibs |
|---|---|
| Species | Cat |
| Sex | Male |
| Born | November 1950 |
| Died | December 1964 London, England |
| Occupation | British Post Office's "number one cat" |
| Years active | 1950–1964 |
| Owner | Alf Talbut |
Tibs the Great (born November 1950 – died December 1964) was a very special cat. He was known as the "number one cat" for the British Post Office. For 14 years, Tibs worked hard at the post office headquarters in London. His important job was to make sure there were no mice around! He was the son of a cat named Minnie. When Tibs passed away, many newspapers wrote about him.
Contents
A Cat's Important Job: History
Cats have been officially working for the Post Office for a long time. They started catching rodents in September 1868. Three cats were hired for a trial in London. They were paid one shilling each week. In May 1869, people said the cats did their job "very efficiently." By 1873, cats were paid more, about 1 shilling and 6 pence. More post offices started hiring cats to help.
Tibs' Early Life
Tibs was likely born in London in November 1950. We don't know who his father was. But his mother, Minnie, was also a "fine cat" who worked for the Post Office.
Tibs' Career at the Post Office
Tibs worked at the Post Office Headquarters in London for 14 years. He was officially employed and received a payment of 2 shillings and 6 pence each week. His main workplace was in the basement. A kind cleaner named Alf Talbut took care of Tibs. Alf also owned Tibs' mother, Minnie. During his 14 years, Tibs successfully kept the Post Office headquarters completely free of mice.
In 1952, people were upset because the Post Office cats had not received a pay raise since 1873. The next year, a question was even asked in the House of Commons. A politician asked the Assistant Postmaster-General, David Gammans, when the payment for cats was last increased.
Gammans joked that there was "industrial chaos" among the Post Office cats. He said their payments changed based on how good they were at their job. He also mentioned it was hard to pay them based on how many mice they caught. He added that these "servants of the State" were sometimes unreliable and missed work.
He also made sure to tell everyone that Post Office cats had good care when they had kittens. He also said that male and female cats were paid the same amount.
Tibs in the Spotlight
In 1953, Tibs became famous! He was featured in a book called Cockney Cats. This book was written by Warren Tute and Felix Fonteyn. Tibs also attended a special event called a "Cats and Film Stars" party.
Tibs' Later Years and Passing
Tibs passed away in December 1964. He had been suffering from a serious illness. Many newspapers wrote articles about him after he died. By the time he passed, he weighed 23 pounds. This was probably because he enjoyed eating in the staff dining rooms.
The last cat employed at the Post Office headquarters was Blackie. Blackie died in 1984. Around that time, the Post Office started using plastic sacks instead of cloth ones. These new sacks were much better at keeping rodents away, so cats were no longer needed for pest control.
