When it comes to political careers, Larry, the cat at 10 Downing Street, appears to have staying power. Certainly more so than recent British Prime Ministers. A full-time resident of the British Prime Minister's home, Larry is a brown and white short-haired domestic cat who was once a stray but now serves as “boss mouse” in the cabinet office. Larry has previously outlived Prime Ministers David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, and now serves newly appointed Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
But Larry's career was not without scandal. A former resident of the Battersea House of Dogs and Cats, he was recommended for the position of head rat due to his supposed predatory drive. Peaking at #10 in early 2011, he quickly surpassed at least three rats. But after proving his worth, Larry decided to give up the job.
In fact, he nearly lost his job after Cameron had to throw cutlery at a rat while dining with Cabinet ministers. “Ministry aides say Larry spends most of his time sleeping or with his new friend. He has apparently caught just one mouse in recent months,” the Daily Mail reported in November 2011. Some members of the public called for him to resign, but Downing Street rebuffed them. “Larry brings a lot of pleasure to a lot of people,” Cameron's spokesperson told the BBC.
Larry is known for having his own doorman and unique style (he is often photographed wearing a Union Jack bow tie on his collar) and may well be the furry face of a more relatable government official. Ahead of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's appointment, Larry's unofficial Twitter account tweeted: “Rishi Sunak is becoming Prime Minister. Your family is loaded with caviar and lobster on the menu for me starting tomorrow.” Despite the supposed satire, Larry was still on hand to officially welcome the new Prime Minister, even before Sunak arrived at the front door of 10 Downing Street.
With the changing of the political guard, Larry stepped up his game, going so far as to scare off a much larger predator. On October 10, 2022, Larry was filmed bullying a wild fox twice his size. After chasing the fox, Larry managed to scare it away from Number 10 without even shouting. This wasn't the first time the roughly 15-year-old tabby performed his official duties in public view; Previously, Larry was filmed fighting a pigeon and carrying a recently deceased rat. Sounds like he's competing for job security, doesn't it?
Now this is interesting
Since 1735, 10 Downing Street in London has been the home and office of the Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom, rivaling the White House in the United States for its importance as a political building. Although Number 10 has a long history of cats living there to deal with the rodent problem, Larry is the first feline to be officially named the Cabinet Office's Chief Mouser.
