LONDON, May 10 — Julian Assange, who has been living in the Ecuadorean embassy for almost four years, has a new companion.

UK’s ITV channel reported today that the Wikileaks founder received a pet cat as a gift from his children.

At time of writing, the pet remains nameless, but already has a Twitter feed: @EmbassyCat.

Its bio reads: “I live in the Ecuadorian Embassy with Julian Assange: Interested in counter-purrveillance.”

Assange claimed asylum at the embassy in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he faces questioning over sexual assault allegations.

He says that he will be sent to the US and put on trial if he leaves.

The @EmbassyCat account has started following several others, including the US State Department, the British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond and the British Foreign Office’s own feline, Palmerston.

In an apparent attempt to reach out to a fellow peer in a high place, @EmbassyCat sent a tweet to Palmerston, quoting a line from Shakespeare’s Henry VI Part Two.

“Small curs are not regarded when they grin; But great men tremble when the lion roars,” it read.

There has been no reply as yet from Palmerston.