Rishi Sunak just stepped down as U.K.’s Prime Minister, he was the fifth leader to hold the title and the fifth to not outlast Downing Street’s real boss. The same goes for Queen Elizabeth, who lived longer than her husband and was one of the oldest monarchs but lost to the ultimate CM.
In terms of popularity, no past or future British Prime Minister could hold a candle to Downing Street’s Chief Mouser, Larry.
Cats at Downing Street are no recent occurrence. The felines have long been employed by the British government to catch rats and vermin. In the 1940s, Winston Churchill had his pet cat Nelson living at the iconic residence. But no cat at the address over the years has garnered as much media attention as the one and only Larry.
The domestic tabby was born in 2007 and adopted in 2011 by Downing Street staff from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home to deal with the mouse problem at the address, becoming the first cat to receive the illustrious title of Chief Mouser.
Larry was brought in when David Cameron was PM, and since then he has witnessed the comings and goings of five PMs: Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and Sunak. This will be the first time Larry will share his residence with a Labour Party PM, Keir Stammer, as well as the Stammer family cat, JoJo.
All hail Larry, the one true Chief Mouser
Larry, understandably, is extremely protective of his home. Over the years, the tabby has gotten into a few scuffles with other pet residents. One of his most well-known feuds was with Palmerston, Foreign Office’s Chief Mouser, who saw his retirement arrive earlier than Larry in 2020. More recently, it was reported that the cat also did not get along swimmingly with Rishi Sunak’s fox red labrador retriever, Nova.
No matter the animal that faces him – he even scared off a fox at one point – Larry is well aware of his rightful place at Downing Street and is unafraid to show it.
Judging from past evidence, it may well be that Larry will not be too welcoming towards JoJo. But hopefully, the two cats will be able to find some form of middle ground.
The Downing Street Website says “Larry spends his days greeting guests to the house, inspecting security defences, and testing antique furniture for napping quality. His day-to-day responsibilities also include contemplating a solution to the mouse occupancy of the house.”
For now, all that remains to be seen is how the esteemed Chief Mouser adapts to having his sixth Prime Minister and his family living at his home.