AMMAN: At the British embassy to Jordan, a former rescue cat is settling into his new position as chief mouser — as a tradition well-established in the ministries of London goes global.
“Lawrence of Abdoun” is a fluffy black-and-white tom, who, according to his Twitter feed, reports directly to the Foreign Office’s Palmerston. He delights his 57,000 followers with regular updates from the ministry in Whitehall via @DiploMog.
Lawrence, named after T.E. Lawrence, a British military officer who fought alongside Arabs against the Ottoman Empire during the First World War, has already gained a large fan following since being adopted from an animal shelter last month.
Abdoun is the neighbourhood of Amman where the embassy is located.
“Apart from his mousing duties, he reaches out to followers on Twitter. What’s quite interesting is the British public is seeing the UK embassy in Jordan in a different light,” said Deputy Ambassador Laura Dauban.
Before I start my mousing duties at the Embassy it’s only right I inspect the artwork… pic.twitter.com/kcaofpa2wV
— Lawrence of Abdoun (@LawrenceDipCat) October 12, 2017
”Through Lawrence’s Twitter account, we’re trying to show a different side to Jordan, what it is really like, a peaceful, prosperous country that British tourists should come and visit.”
Understanding the country is vital for any ambassadorial @diplomog, but also for visitors! Have you subscribed to my team’s travel advice for Jordan? https://t.co/Aaxo18Y7Uv pic.twitter.com/RYXSKHYT81
— Lawrence of Abdoun (@LawrenceDipCat) November 17, 2017
Tweeting under the name @LawrenceDipCat, Lawrence has discovered the perils of social media and has even been fat-shamed by trolls.
“He’s been a bit upset because some people have said he looked a bit fat in the last tweet he did, so he’ll be doing some exercises and posting to sort of rectify that situation,” Dauban said.
