Thatcher the cat passes away!

John Major had trouble with the Downing Street cat Humphrey in those last episodes of Spitting Image. The cat had a fairly low opinion of the prime minister's abilities as he struggled to keep his cabinet in place. Now it appears that Margaret Thatcher's namesake, a beloved cat belonging to the Canadian transport minister John Baird, has popped its paws and gone to cat heaven. Lady T is still around.

The internet grapevine can move faster than a cat chasing a mouse but without the same purpose sometimes. Canada's transport minister was bereft by the demise of his cat so he sent a text message reading, "Thatcher has died". Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper was soon informed that 84-year-old former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher had passed away.

This is not the first time famous people have been deemed dead before their time. Mark Twain famously wrote "The report of my death was an exaggeration". Indeed! I well remember the late Sandy Powell, who was reintroduced to the general public after a period away from the limelight. He'd come onto the stage and say, "I know what you're thinking! You're thinking 'I thought he was dead!' " and proceed with a rusty routine. Maybe Margaret Thatcher could say something similar at future events.