Red Letter Day for Buster – the new Postal Museum Cat

With just a week to go until the book launch, could things get any more exciting? Actually, yes they can! Buster the cat (known affectionately to his fans as Buster Gut) has outshone and upstaged his humans by landing himself a first-class job – as Head Mouser for the newly-opened Postal Museum in London.

Buster applied for the ‘vacatsy’ three times before he was finally appointed. (You can read about his hilarious efforts here.) Not only is he purr-sistent but I swear he has a sixth sense. When the doorbell rang this morning, he was there in the hall tripping me up. ‘Delivery for Buster,’ said a beaming post lady, holding a large, brown paper package. ‘Looks intriguing.’

It felt like Christmas had arrived early. Despite his age, Buster behaved like a loony kitten, chasing the extra long string tied around the box as if it was alive. (The expert wrapper at the Postal Museum must have known it would make the opening process more exciting – for a cat, that is.)

Inside, an impressive red envelope contained Buster’s letter of employment. ‘As you’re one of the first new cats to hold the position of Mouser for many decades,’ it said, ‘you have big paw prints to fill.’

To help Buster fulfill his duties , the parcel included an interactive IQ training toy (for keeping his wits as sharp as his claws) and a stunning picture book by Joyce Dunbar and Claire Fletcher. Entitled Tibs the Post Office Cat, it is the purr-fect Christmas gift for young cat lovers. It got Buster thinking about ingenious ways of sorting out the mice and ensuring their long-lasting cooperation. Like The Old Gumbie Cat in T S Eliot’s poem, he now has some tricks up his sleeve.

He also received a new uniform – his very own GPO hat. Doesn’t he look handsome? The cardboard box impressed him, too, it has to be said. After all the excitement, he got in it and slept for several hours. At 14 years old, this senior moggie can’t quite believe he’s joining the ranks of the legendary postal cats. His dream has come true. A big thank you to the Postal Museum team. He won’t let you down… Purr-omise.

PS. The Postal Museum’s search for 12 volunteer mousers (one each month) continues until September 2018. To apply, owners must submit a photo of their cat on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using @ThePostalMuseum and the hashtags #jobsfurcats and #catsinhats. Who will be the lucky Christmas cat, I wonder? For more details of how to apply click here.