physics

Wilberforce (cat)

Wilberforce (cat) is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Wilberforce (cat) rather than just read about it. In short: Wilberforce (c. 1973 – 19 May 1988) was a cat living at 10 Downing Street who was employed as the chief mouser to the Cabinet Office from 1973 to 1987. He served during the premierships of four prime ministers: Edward Heath, Harold Wilson, James Callaghan and Margaret Thatcher.

Key takeaways

Wilberforce (cat) belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Wilberforce (cat) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Wilberforce (cat) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Wilberforce (c. 1973 – 19 May 1988) was a cat living at 10 Downing Street who was employed as the chief mouser to the Cabinet Office from 1973 to 1987. He served during the premierships of four prime ministers: Edward Heath, Harold Wilson, James Callaghan and Margaret Thatcher. In obituaries published shortly after his death he was described as the "best mouser in Britain".

Early life and career Wilberforce was an eight-week-old white tabby kitten when adopted from the Hounslow branch of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in 1973. He was appointed the Downing Street office manager's cat to deal with a mouse infestation, and given a living allowance. He was named Wilberforce in honour of the English abolitionist William Wilberforce. Downing Street staff would reply to mail sent to him "wanting to know how he was, [wishing] him luck". Despite his role as chief mouser to the Cabinet Office, he rarely visited the Cabinet room, instead preferring the Scottish Office, 11 Downing Street and the Foreign Office. According to Bernard Ingham, the former Downing Street press secretary, the prime minister Margaret Thatcher once bought Wilberforce "a tin of sardines in a Moscow supermarket", because, according to The Daily Telegraph, "there was nothing else to buy". Wilberforce would regularly sleep on and under Ingham's desk, which irritated Ingham because of his asthma. When resident ducks from nearby St James's Park had eggs that were about to hatch Thatcher "made sure he [Wilberforce] was kept out of the way". During the BBC's coverage of the 1983 general election Esther Rantzen held Wilberforce and introduced him to viewers. Noting his longevity, in 1985 the Sunday Mirror stated that Wilberforce "seem[ed] to go on forever"; in December 1986, anticipating the 1987 general election, the Lincolnshire Echo said this of Wilberforce:

Governments may come and go, prime ministers may pass in the night, but Wilberforce goes on forever, untroubled by the mighty events that go on around her [sic] twitching whiskers.

Retirement and death Wilberforce retired on 3 April 1987 after fourteen years of service under four different prime ministers. He went to live in Essex with a retired caretaker from Number 10; before his departure, Thatcher gave Wilberforce a leaving gift. He died in his sleep on 19 May 1988, aged 15. Upon his death, Edward Heath, who was in Tokyo at the time, said that he was "very sorry that the longest resident has died". Harold Wilson, who had been "extremely fond" of Wilberforce, expressed his regrets; James Callaghan's wife Audrey was reportedly "shocked". Thatcher was given the news of his death at the end of the daily Cabinet meeting, and stated that she was "very sad". In various newspaper stories and obituaries covering his death, Wilberforce was described as the "best mouser in Britain". He was buried near his retirement home.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Wilberforce (cat)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Wilberforce (cat) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Wilberforce (cat) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Wilberforce (cat) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Wilberforce (cat)

In research: Wilberforce (cat) appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Wilberforce (cat) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Wilberforce (cat) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1988 animal deaths, Chief mousers to the Cabinet Office, Individual cats in the United Kingdom, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Wilberforce (cat) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Wilberforce (cat)” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Wilberforce (cat) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Wilberforce (cat) means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Wilberforce (cat) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Wilberforce (cat) in simple terms?

Why does Wilberforce (cat) matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Wilberforce (cat)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Wilberforce (cat).