Reports that a woman was claiming Downing Street's new cat as her own lost pet have been revealed as a hoax.

Larry the ratcatcher was unveiled at Number 10 earlier this month, but according to various news reports a woman named Margaret Sutcliffe claimed that the feline was Jo, a pet she had adopted as a stray.

According to the hoax - originated by Starsuckers director Chris Atkins - Sutcliffe's nephew Tim started a Facebook group urging people to contact Prime Minister David Cameron and ask for the return of the cat.

Images purporting to be screencaps from the page were published along with quotes from "Margaret" and were picked up by several sources who had not properly checked the story, including DS. However, the Facebook page was not genuine.