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Home→Cat Coats→Mrs Thatcher’s Cat Pussikins

Mrs Thatcher’s Cat Pussikins

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Although there is nothing on the Internet (as far as I can tell) about Margaret Thatcher’s cat, I’d like to briefly discuss the topic on her recent death.

The tough side of her softened about ten years after she resigned as Prime Minister. Apparently, she began to behave more like a granny than the iron lady of British politics.

Whatever people think of her, and people are very divided in their opinions, she was a lady and she had some great qualities. She was loved and loathed but never ignored.

She acquired a cat to live with her in five-storey property in Belgravia, central London. She adopted the cat from Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, which is not very far from her home. I don’t know the sex of the cat but I’ll guess he was male and he was a fat ginger cat. He was probably a red tabby cat. That would be very suitable for her. Red tabbies are meant to be pretty sold characters.

She named the new resident herself. She called him “Pussikins”. That name tells us a bit about Margaret’s personality. I think it is fair to say the name is a little unimaginative and old fashioned. The name indicates to me a lack of real desire to connect with her cat but that is a big guess. That said Pussikins had his own chair in the drawing room.

We have to credit her for adopting a cat and rescue cat at that. The idea may have come from one of her many friends and visitors. Perhaps the idea behind it was for her to have some company and to slow her down a bit. She was a very energetic lady who only felt right when she was doing something.

So, was Margaret Thatcher a “cat person”? Do you think she really liked cats? I don’t think so. She had a kind side and she was always well mannered. She was photographed petting a dog when sitting in Battersea Park with her carer and police officer not that long before she died of a minor stroke while reading in bed at the Ritz Hotel where she stayed for free.

Once again, this indicates a kind side to her character. She wasn’t unkind, although many people such as the miners would strongly disagree with that.

Comments

Mrs Thatcher’s Cat Pussikins — 26 Comments

  2. From my association over the years with “P.O.C”, i seem to be the only regular Indian contributor on subject of cats.Thanks to “P.O.C” have got a idea of life in the Western world through the personal discussions like this controversial subject on former British Prime Minister Mrs Margaret.Thatcher. I have traveled to most country’s including a long stay in England in the 1980’s, the “Margaret Thatcher Years”.

    Marc from Switzerland, a regular contributor to “P.O.C” seems to be a aristocrat with a “Public education” and computer technology for keeping track of his cats. Honestly, as a citizen of a developing Country have learnt volumes through “P.O.C” , besides cats.

    Regarding Politics, in every country there are always a few politicians who will be hated by a section of the Country’s public and that includes my country , India.I wonder how do the average British react when they see a majority of Asians of British citizenship cheering India in a “India V/s England” cricket match rather than England !

    I observed this fact during the recent “England V/s India” ” I.C.C championship trophy at Birmingham which India won narrowly. The stadium resembled a typical Indian stadium rather than distant England ! Definitely, all the spectators were not Indian tourists on a holiday to Birmingham to just watch a cricket match.Strange, the game of Cricket was invented by Britain and exported to its colonies and today the colonies dominate the commercial economy of this sport.

    Politics and sports always throw up controversies.In the “Cat world”, the very fact that there are numerous ‘Cat associations” proves the fact that “Cat Politics” also dominates the setting up of “Cat breed Clubs and Associations”. Its most obvious in India, a country just emerging into the cat fancy world which recently had its first “Cat Show” in the city of Bangalore.It was held under a club called “Indian Cat federation” affiliated to the “World Cat Federation” of Germany. The strange fact was that a portion of cat fanciers in Bangalore boycotted this cat show, reasons unknown.This proves the fact that Politics exist in every sphere of life, including our house-hold pets.

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    • The cat fancy is very political as you say. I would love to know why the newborn Indian cat fancy is already political. That is starting early. Politics in the cat fancy results in poor decisions just as politicians playing politics rather than making the right decisions is not good for humans.

      There needs to be a greater concern for making decisions based on sound principles and morals not for personal or entirely commercial reasons.

      Brits don’t mind Indians who are British supporting their country. We are tolerant in that way.

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  3. What on earth is wrong with the name Pussikins? I am seriously thinking of calling my next cat by that name, which is how I came upon this site. I once had a cat named Pussum Boy and he was beautiful, loving and much loved. He was a real character, who could even understand some words as he would react to them when he heard them used in everyday speech. No one would dare to condescend to him! An interesting side light is that he also taught himself to wee down the plug hole in the bath . . .

    I think there is a tendency for some people to read far more into a situation than is warranted, perhaps because they are tripped up by their own mental stumbling blocks !

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    • What on earth is wrong with the name Pussikins?

      It is a name devoid of imagination. If a person loves their cat they will have the imagination to create a good name that suits their cat.

      Pussikins is a generic name. It is simply not good enough and if you think it is, I would advise you to rethink and reflect.

      Thanks for visiting and commenting.

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    • Maggikins someone once used to call me Ruthikins, it annoyed me very much! Kins on the end of a name is very childish and think how you will look to your neighbours calling Pussikins in at night!
      lol

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      • I think it is rather sad that ‘kin(s)’ has died out. I am not completely sure of the etymology but I believe that it came originally from Middle English or even Old English, and was used as a suffix to denote kind, sort, or of possessing qualities belonging to a particular sort, class or kind. Very suitable for the England described above, I would have thought!

        Perhaps I should call my new cat ‘Catkins’ . . . ?

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        • Call your cat what you like but please don’t come here picking on the English grammar of Marc, because he is one of us who spend our leisure time fighting the abuse of ALL cats worldwide and striving to educate the ignorant about cat welfare.

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  4. Pussikins sounds a condescending name to me.
    I hate the way people are elevated to sainthood because they are dead,the Milk Snatcher destroyed a lot of peoples lives,I’d be a hypocrite to pretend I care about her death.Even so I wouldn’t celebrate it but I too can understand why some people are.
    The rich have got richer the poor have got poorer,England is not a good place to be any more.

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    • England is not a good place to be any more.

      Correct, it is messed up and it has lost its soul. The England we knew has gone for ever. I moan about it every day 😉

      Pussikins sounds a condescending name to me.

      It is a bit like that. I agree. For me, it is demonstrates a lack of interest.

      People should not celebrate someone’s death unless the deceased is a monster and particularly not if that person was elected for three Parliaments (11 years) by the people of Great Britain. It is disrespectful and a symptom of failing modern Britain. Maggie Thatcher was not a monster. She was basically decent although I fully accept she made enemies.

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  5. Marc she turned the rich against the poor, the old against the young, the employed against the unemployed and that’s what Cameron is doing again now.
    First he targeted women in their late 50s who had already faced one age hike to their state pension age with a second age rise and of course forcing those with no private pension (like my very own sister) to work to 65 and 1/2 which means less jobs for young unemployed people who are blaming older people for blocking jobs. Older people having to work are of course resentful of those young people living off their lifetime of hard work from 15 years of age and resent paying in even more in contributions, many young people have never worked, some want to, some don’t. Can you imagine how my sister feels having to don a uniform and turn out to work and seeing young people strolling past in the sunshine, smoking, drinking, going to the nearby tanning salon. She loves her job and is good at it but with age related painful osteoarthritis how is she to manage another 6 years? Cameron is finishing what Thatcher started. They are turning employed against unemployed, childless people against families and the people of the North ARE being affected more than the South. Now they are spending millions of ££ of tax payers money on a woman’s funeral when they say they can’t afford pensions,etc…
    Yes it’s childish dancing in the steets and celebrating but maybe it’s the only way some people can cope with their helplessness at what is happening to our country.

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    • Cameron has failed. At least Thatcher had a backbone. The average person pays up and is ripped off while the rich fly above it all and the bl**dy politicians do nothing about it. They lean on the average man and leave the rich alone, more or less.

      That banker who made HSBOS go bust and who renounced one third of his £500,000 per year pension would have received £30,000 per year if the government had let the bank go bust. It is maddening. It cost us £20 bn (20 thousand million of tax payer’s money!!) to save this bl**dy bank. He should be stripped of his pension up to £30k. Let’s see how he manages on that. That is still a damned good pension for nearly all of us. The bankers are obscene. The politicians need them to fund their political party. I hate all this stuff. The British are too complacent and apathetic.

      I completely disagree with celebrating the death of a politician who was voted in for 11 years by the public. It is disrespectful, childish, crude and a modern phenomenon. We can disagree with someone but still respect them.

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  6. The fact the people openly danced in the streets and celebrated her death is incredibly childish. Not only are they disrespecting her but they are being rude to the millions of people who voted for her more times than most. It’s all over the papers here – photos of childish people burning pictures of her. What a bunch of losers. And I am not even saying I like her at all. I was quite young then – probably I don’t really like her but I am not a complete baffoon with no respect for anyone and just out for a bit of showing off. She did alot of things good and bad. Where would england be without her – we don’t know. She was pretty awful but celebrating her death is something people who have time on their hands and no job or decent reason to live, do.

    England is such a wierdly divided country compared to all the countries I have been to and the ones I have lived in. I went to public school – it’s something you have to hide in England. In england everyone is always saying “Oh well it’s alright for you then is it, well it’s not for us – poor us” – incredible snobbery between rich and poor as well. It’s a bit of a social disaster. What a shame that’s where all the interesting people live 🙂

    I remember years ago my mum calling up the council to ask about a question of being able to park in front of her own driveway to save space for residents who don’t have their own driveway – and we had a second car. It’s logical. Let people with driveways and a second car park in front of their own driveway to make space for others.

    You know what the council member said to her (in Kensington and Chelsea borough btw) – “oh – well it’s alright for you lot with bloody driveways” followed by just hanging up on her. In england people are so prejudiced they can’t even see when somebody is trying to help and I have always found it to be so. I hope I don’t offend anyone as I know some of you live there. I had to fake my accent just to get people to take me seriously there.

    I doubt she was much of a cat lady. I do think she caused enormous divide in and that will never leave the UK. IT will be forever a place where people are saying “it’s alright for everyone else but what about us”.

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    • Public School? How odd. Didn’t they teach you that ‘England’ is a proper noun and therefore when written always takes a capital ‘E’? Also ” . . . to ask about a question” in the context above is questionable grammar to say the least.

      Interesting school you seem to have attended!

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      • Margaret, the person who wrote that comment is Marc. He types very quickly and makes the odd typo. He works hard and is pressed for time so can’t check every word. That is why he made this typo. It is not important. He loves cats and his comments are full of intelligent thought and insights. Don’t criticise because of a pointless typo. That is cheap behavior.

        Comments to articles should be read in the light of their content not their grammar because people write them quikly. They are written voluntarily with no reward. Please think about that.

        To actually get comments on a website is a privilege because 99% don’t get them.

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      • You are very critical Margaret, are you absolutely perfect yourself?
        Maybe you should read more of PoC and see just what a generous man Marc is, planning to donate money to cat charities for every comment made here on June 30th.
        Who gives a damn about perfect grammar when the person is typing in a hurry because of his busy life and because he spends every spare leisure moment with his cats, in my opinion he has a heart of gold!

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  7. I didn’t know Mrs Thatcher had a cat, I couldn’t imagine her loving an animal but of course if we don’t know a person ourselves we can’t judge that.
    Yes there is an awful lot of bad feeling here in the North East and some people celebrating her death as she ruined so many miners livelihoods and a lot of towns never recovered. There is still huge unemployment here even now as our Railway works were closed down too and men who had worked there all their lives found themselves jobless. You can imagine the despair felt here right now that Cameron doesn’t care about the working class of the North either and the present cuts are affecting people here very deeply.
    I haven’t been to South Shields for many years now but have a friend who has a friend there and he says just like our County Durham, it has never really recoveed from her targeting of the workers.
    I won’t be celebrating but I won’t be sadly watching her funeral on TV either, our late dad would spin in his Garden of Rememberance if I did, he hated her!

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  8. I’M not really sure why someone would adopt a cat if they aren’t a person who loves cats,but you are right when you mentioned that cats are great company.as far as her being a “cat person”,probably not.

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    • I have the impression that her advisers advised her to adopt Pussikins. At the time she was losing her mental abilities and was more reliant on the advice of her friends. I have a feeling the relationship between her and her cat as not that close but to be fair to her I am guessing.

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  9. In 1985/86 during the Premiership of Margaret .Thatcher i was a young 25 year old Marine Engineer studying at the “South Shields Maritime College” at South Shields in North East England .I was naive to British politics but did overhear conversations at the local pubs about Margaret .Thatcher’s economic policies favouring the rich, most commoners at the pubs against her iron rule.I lived in South shields for approx 5 months, experiencing Britains worst winter but ultimately passing my ” Marine engineers Exams”. Decades later on the death of Baroness MargaretThatcher i was surprised to view that a group of North-East English citizens, former miners, will be actually celebrating the death of Mrs Margaret.Thatcher! This brought back memories of my 1985/86 visit to North-east England and i now realize that a large number of the working class miner population of Britain lost their jobs and livelihood due to the policies of prime Minister Margaret.Thatcher, hence loathed by the community. Kudo’s to “B.B.C” for showing World viewers the uncensored version two faces of popularity of Britains longest serving Prime Minister.”Pussikins” is a funny name for a cat and the lucky cat to have been saved by the Iron Lady.

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