Larry the cat is celebrating 15 years as Britain’s Chief Mouser at 10 Downing Street marking an extraordinary rags to riches story that has taken him from stray on the streets of London to the seat of political power where he serves as a symbol of stability during turbulent times. The gray and white tabby was adopted from London’s Battersea Dogs and Cats Home by then Prime Minister David Cameron on February 15 2011 and his official duties include greeting guests inspecting security defenses and testing antique furniture for napping quality. Over his tenure Larry has served under six prime ministers leading Cambridge University professor Philip Howell to observe that Larry’s approval ratings remain very high while prime ministers tend not to hit those numbers because he represents stability that is at a premium. The nonpartisan feline has a knack for upstaging world leaders arriving at the famous black door to the delight of news photographers who know he will come out at the exact moment a meet and greet is about to happen creating memorable photo bombing moments.
Larry has met many world leaders who sometimes have to step around or over him and while he is largely unfriendly to men he took a liking to former President Barack Obama and drew a smile from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. When President Donald Trump visited in 2019 Larry crashed the official doorstep photo and then took a nap under the Beast the armored car demonstrating his characteristic nonchalance. Now 18 or 19 years old Larry continues to patrol his turf and sleep on a window ledge above a radiator while maintaining his status as British soft power in feline form. Professor Howell notes that cats being less tractable is part of Larry’s charm explaining that his whimsical nonpartisan nature and unruliness combined with his refusal to sit or pose where anyone wants creates the independent character that endears him to Brits proving any cat hating prime minister would be committing political suicide.
