It seems that Canadian Transport Minister John Baird has ... er, had ... a cat named Thatcher.

Tuesday night, as Canada.com reports, while "2,000 or so Conservatives in black-tie" were at the Metro Toronto Convention Center, the minister sent a short text to a friend who was there. The message:

"Thatcher has died."

Today, the BBC picks up the story from there: "Confusion spread. ... Calls to puzzled officials in both 10 Downing Street and Buckingham Palace followed." A top aide to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper "started preparing an official statement mourning the passing of the Iron Lady."

And then the Canadians found out that 84-year-old former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, a favorite of conservatives around the world, is still with us.

As Australia's ABC News says, "a brief message about a dead cat caused fur to fly."

According to the BBC, Thatcher (the cat) was a 16-year-old grey (of course) "tabby."

Armistice Day events. Former prime ministers, Baroness Margaret Thatcher (left) and John Major, (rig
Press Association via AP Images

Baroness Thatcher and another former prime minister, John Major, on Wednesday.