Harry won the public’s vote as the most suitable candidate for Downing Street cat in a poll run by feline welfare charity Cats Protection. The charity asked members of the public to vote for their favourite cat to move into Number 10 following news that the top feline job in the country was up for grabs.

The charity set up the poll on its Facebook page featuring the line-up of cat candidates in the running for the role. The shortlist featured cats picked by the charity for their suitability for this most high-profile role and members of the public were invited to vote for the cat they believed best fitted the bill.

Details of the nation’s favourite cat candidate will now be forwarded on to Downing Street so David Cameron can decide if he wishes to give Harry a home.

Cats Protection’s Director of Communications, Nick Edmans, said: “Following our invitation to the Prime Minister to provide one of the 7,000 cats in our care with a new home we decided to help him decide by asking the public to vote for the cat they wanted to see entering Downing Street. Harry was a clear winner and we are sure he will excel at his new role should he be invited to Downing Street.”

Speculation over the return of a cat has been rife since rats were spotted scuttling around the famous street on recent news bulletins. Prime Minister David Cameron's spokesman confirmed earlier in the week that there was a ‘pro-cat faction within the building’ that wants to restore feline anti-rodent patrols.

If a new cat takes up residence at Downing Street it would be the first such official appointment since stalwart Humphrey's eight-year spell ended when he retired within months of Tony Blair taking power in 1997.

He was succeeded for a short period in 2007 by Sybil, the pet of then chancellor Alistair Darling but the renowned mouser failed to settle and returned to Scotland.

Members of the public who would like to offer a home to a cat or make a donation to help the charity continue its cat welfare work, please call Cats Protection’s national Helpline on 03000 12 12 12 or check out this website for further information.

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