‘First feline’ Larry marks 15 years as Britain’s political top cat

In turbulent political times, stability comes with four legs, whiskers and a fondness for napping. Larry the cat celebrates 15 years this Sunday as the British government’s official rodent-catcher and unofficial first feline, a reassuring presence who has served under six prime ministers.

“Larry the cat’s approval ratings will be very high,” said Philip Howell, a Cambridge University professor who has studied the history of human-animal relations. “And prime ministers tend not to hit those numbers. He represents stability, and that’s at a premium.”

The gray-and-white tabby’s rags-to-riches story has taken him from the streets of London to Britain’s seat of power at 10 Downing Street, where he bears the official title Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office. Adopted from London’s Battersea Dogs and Cats Home by then-Prime Minister David Cameron, Larry entered Downing Street on February 15, 2011.

According to his official profile on the UK government website, Larry’s duties include “greeting guests to the house, inspecting security defenses and testing antique furniture for napping quality.” He roams freely throughout the building and has become a fixture in British political life, outlasting multiple administrations.

Larry has become famous for his impeccable timing, often appearing at the famous black door of Number 10 just as world leaders arrive for meetings. This knack for photobombing high-profile political moments has endeared him to the press corps that regularly covers Downing Street.

“He’s great at photo-bombing,” said Justin Ng, a freelance photographer who has come to know Larry well over the years. “If there’s a foreign leader that’s about to visit then we know he’ll just come out at the exact moment that meet-and-greet is about to happen.”

Larry has met numerous world leaders during his tenure. Observers note he tends to be selective in his affections, generally showing less warmth toward men, though he notably took a liking to former U.S. President Barack Obama. During a visit from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Larry managed to draw a rare smile from the war-time leader.

When former U.S. President Donald Trump visited in 2019, Larry not only crashed the official doorstep photo opportunity but later took a nap under “The Beast,” the president’s heavily armored limousine.

As for his official duties, reports of Larry’s rodent-catching skills vary. While he has been photographed capturing the occasional mouse, his hunting prowess is not his defining characteristic. “He’s more of a lover than a fighter,” Ng observed. “He’s very good at what he does: lounging around and basically showing people that he’s very nonchalant.”

Larry has shared his territory with various prime ministerial pets over the years, including Boris Johnson’s Jack Russell cross Dilyn and Rishi Sunak’s Labrador retriever Nova. The current arrangement under Prime Minister Keir Starmer keeps Larry separate from the PM’s family cats, JoJo and Prince, who live in the private family quarters while Larry maintains dominion over the working areas of Downing Street.

One of Larry’s more notable relationships was with Palmerston, the diplomatic cat who served at the Foreign Office across the street. The pair were known for their territorial disputes, caught tussling on several occasions before Palmerston retired in 2020. Palmerston died earlier this month in Bermuda, where he had been serving as “feline relations consultant” to the governor.

Now aged 18 or 19, Larry has slowed down somewhat but continues to patrol his territory diligently. His favorite spot remains a window ledge above a radiator just inside the Number 10 door, where he can keep a watchful eye on the comings and goings of Britain’s political elite.

Larry has become such an institution that it would be politically damaging for any prime minister to consider removing him. “A cat-hating PM, that seems to me to be political suicide,” Howell noted.

Unlike American presidential pets that are often used to soften a leader’s image, Larry’s nonpartisan status gives him a unique role in British political life. “The fact that cats are less tractable is part of the charm, too,” Howell explained. “He’s sort of whimsically not partisan in a political sense, but he tends to take to some people and not to others and he won’t necessarily sit where you want him to sit and pose where you want him to pose.”

“There is a certain kind of unruliness about Larry which I think would endear him, certainly, to Brits,” Howell added.

As Britain navigates through periods of political uncertainty, Larry the cat remains a symbol of continuity and stability—a living institution in a country that values tradition, even when it comes with whiskers and a tail.