By Mark Memmott

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, (right), attend a memorial service to mark the passing of the World War I generation at Westminster Abbey in central London. Picture date: Wednesday November 11, 2009. (Press Association via AP Images)

Baroness Thatcher and another former prime minister, John Major, on Wednesday. (Press Association via AP Images)


categories: Fun, Technology

2:50 - November 13, 2009

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