Larry the cat, 19, was adopted 15 years ago and has overseen six Prime Ministers, welcomed the world’s most famous leaders and fought pigeons and other Westminster felines
Larry the cat is marking 15 years as No 10’s mouse catcher after serving six prime ministers in Downing Street.
The 19-year-old tabby was adopted from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home in February 2011 by the then-Prime Minister David Cameron. The iconic cat was initially intended to be a pet for Cameron’s young children but Larry stepped up into the crucial role of chief mouser to the Cabinet Office.
Larry came in when mice were seen scurrying across the front of Downing Street in the back of news broadcasts. As chief mouser, he is tasked with controlling the rodent population of the building at the heart of the British Government, although his success has been disputed.
Now more than 90 in relative human years, Larry is believed to have made his first kill on the job at the age of four in April 2011. Larry has provided shows in front of the press camera, like pouncing on a pigeon while the media waited for an update on post-Brexit negotiations with the EU.
Former chancellor George Osborne’s cat Freya also fought with Larry when she lived at Downing Street, although the two were also said to have largely coexisted peacefully.
Akshata Murty, the wife of former PM Rishi Sunak, once told Sky News Larry had “heated exchanges” with her family’s Labrador puppy Nova while they lived in Downing Street. She added that Larry always came “out on top”.
Larry has also been reported to be “not very keen on men”, according to Lord Cameron, who was surprised at how well the pet gelled with then-US president Barack Obama.
