Downing Street’s chief mouser Larry the cat celebrates 15 years on the job
Larry the cat was adopted 15 years ago and has not only managed No 10’s rodent population, but has captured the hearts of the public and provided a chuckle during tense political events
Larry, the Downing Street cat (file image)(Image: Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Downing Street’s famous feline is marking 15 years in the job as the United Kingdom’s chief mouser.
Larry the cat has been No 10’s mouse catcher since February 15, 2011, serving six prime ministers.
Larry was adopted from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home and was intended as a pet for the children of then-prime minister David Cameron and his wife, Samantha.
During his tenure, the 19-year-old tabby, officially known as the chief mouser to the Cabinet Office, has captured the hearts of Brits because of his frequent appearances outside the Prime Minister’s front door in central London.
Larry is tasked with controlling the rodent population at the Prime Minister’s residence, although his success has been disputed.
Various felines have occupied the post since the 1920s, and there are even earlier historical records of cats on government residences dating back to the era of Henry VIII.
Larry is believed to have made his first kill on the job at the age of four in April 2011.
A favourite among press cameras, Larry has lightened the mood during tense moments in UK history.
He was seen pouncing on a pigeon while the media waited for an update on post-Brexit negotiations with the European Union.
It is understood that Larry has had fractious relationships with other domesticated animals.
Larry was known to fight with the late Palmerston, a cat brought in to control the mouse population in the Foreign Office buildings neighbouring Downing Street.
Former chancellor George Osborne’s cat Freya also had a spat 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 prime minister and chancellor Rishi Sunak, once told Sky News Larry had “heated exchanges” with her family’s Labrador puppy Nova while they lived in Downing Street. Larry is understood to have always “come out on top”.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said in February 2025 he was initially having to keep his family’s Siberian kitten Prince away from Larry, in case the Downing Street veteran “doesn’t like him”.
The Starmers had two cats when he took office in 2024, Prince and Jojo.
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, one of the many international guests Larry has welcomed to Downing Street.
The chief mouser sometimes appears in official records of such visits and can be seen lurking on a windowsill in a photograph of Baroness Theresa May with US President Donald Trump while she was at the helm.
Larry has often provided moments of light relief amid the stormy political news of the last 15 years, lying on the step of No 10, unaware of important announcements due to be made by the UK’s political leaders.
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