Youth

Larry was born around January 2007 as an ordinary stray without a microchip, until he was captured and taken to the well-known London shelter Battersea Dogs and Cats Home [5,11,14]. He moved into the famous residence of the British Prime Minister on February 15, 2011, during David Cameron’s tenure, as Cameron sought to resolve an unpleasant problem with an overpopulation of rats [3,8,17]. Although he was originally intended to be just a pet for Cameron’s children, he quickly earned an official title and joined the staff [5,14].

During his exceptionally long career, this brown-and-white cat has watched as David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak, and Keir Starmer have come and gone from office [2,12]. While high-ranking politicians came and went following elections and scandals, Larry consistently maintained his position and became the longest-serving resident of this historic government residence [5,13].

A sloth?

The official government website states that Larry’s daily duties include welcoming important guests, inspecting security measures, and, most importantly, testing the comfort of antique furniture for sleeping [5,17]. However, when it comes to mouse hunting itself, the cat has often faced sharp criticism, and the tabloid media have even mockingly dubbed him “Lazy Larry” [2,5]. Government officials had to defend him in public by claiming that his overall solution to the mouse problem was still only in the tactical planning phase [2,5].

Just one month after his triumphant arrival, anonymous inside sources reported that the cat lacked any killer instinct and preferred to spend his time sleeping or playing with Miss Maisie the cat [5]. The rodent situation was so critical in 2011 that then-Prime Minister Cameron even had to throw a fork at a cheeky mouse during a cabinet dinner [5]. Despite his initial lethargy, Larry occasionally fulfilled his duties, catching his first mouse in April 2011 and, surprisingly, pulling off another successful hunt quite recently at the age of nineteen—the equivalent of 92 human years [5].

Since his hunting prowess had long been in question, some frustrated politicians had to take matters into their own hands. In 2015, Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne, together with Matt Hancock, cornered a mouse in their office and trapped it in a brown paper snack bag [5]. The press immediately joked that Osborne could fully replace Larry as chief mouser [5].

Larry’s lack of ferocity was also evident when he managed to catch a pigeon, which then flew away without any trouble [3]. Instead of hunting, the cat established himself as a master at ignoring the rules and showed people that he can rule with admirable nonchalance [3]. Photographers adore him because he has perfectly mastered the art of photobombing and always appears at the famous black doors just as the official welcoming of guests begins [3]. Larry is also the first official holder of the office of Chief Mouser and has a good chance of breaking the record set by a cat named Peter III, who unofficially held this role from 1947 to 1964.

Favorites

Although he is said not to be very fond of male company, former U.S. President Barack Obama was a rare and well-known exception [3,5]. Obama won him over simply by petting him, which came as quite a surprise to David Cameron, since Larry was otherwise quite nervous around men [5,14]. He later made a friendly impression on Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese as well, who boasted on social media that he had happily petted the cat after a long day of negotiations [4,5].

In addition to American leaders, other prominent European figures also formed an impression of him during their visits to the United Kingdom. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy watched him with a smile, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also met him in a similarly warm and friendly manner [3,4,5]. French President Emmanuel Macron even joked during his state visit about Larry’s popular social media profile, to which Keir Starmer remarked that he was probably the most popular person on Downing Street [5].

Snubbed

Not all politicians, however, have earned Larry’s favor, as Liz Truss discovered when, during an official introduction to the Danish prime minister, he pointedly turned his back on her [2,6]. His most famous diplomatic incident, however, occurred in 2019 during the highly publicized state visit of then-U.S. President Donald Trump [10,14]. At that time, Larry calmly lay down under Trump’s heavily armored limousine, known as “The Beast,” refused to move from beneath it, and thus caused a minor security scare [4,9,10].

His combative and territorial nature was also evident in various domestic conflicts; for example, he consistently won scuffles with a Labrador puppy named Nova, who belonged to Rishi Sunak’s family [2]. Because of his cheeky nature, one of Keir Starmer’s ministers even privately called him a particularly unflattering name [2]. David Cameron himself had his share of problems with him at one point; he was bothered by cat hair on his expensive suits and the strong smell of cat food before the arrival of important state visitors [5].

Rival

However, Larry’s most epic rivalry was with Palmerston, a black-and-white tomcat who had held the same position at the neighboring Foreign Office since 2016 [6,14,15]. Their long-standing territorial dispute culminated in a fierce and highly publicized battle in August 2016 right in front of the steps of No. 10 [2,15]. The result of this furious duel was an injured neck for Palmerston and a lost collar for Larry, with some journalists viewing this rivalry as a perfect metaphor for Brexit at the time [7,15]. In 2025, Palmerston was taken to Bermuda by its new governor, Andrew Murdoch, and he died there on February 12, 2026.

In addition to the incident involving Palmerston, the police had also had to intervene in the past to separate Larry from the feisty cat Freya, who belonged to Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne [2]. Freya was perceived by officials as the more dominant of the two and far more effective at catching mice, as her long history of wandering had toughened her up sufficiently [5]. Even current Prime Minister Keir Starmer recently had to keep his Siberian kitten, Prince, out of Larry’s reach out of a well-founded fear that the old veteran would not accept him at all [2].

Today, Larry comes across as a venerable 19-year-old grandpa who has slowed down a bit, but despite his advanced age, he continues to patrol his territory and enjoys sleeping on the windowsill above the radiator [2,16].

Given his truly advanced age, government officials have already quietly drawn up a thorough contingency plan in case this national treasure finally uses up all nine of his lives [2,7]. This protocol goes by the code name “Larry Bridges,” which is a affectionate yet humorous reference to operations that are otherwise used in Britain exclusively in the event of the deaths of prominent members of the royal family [2].

However, until this somber plan is activated, Larry remains arguably London’s most popular resident and an exceptionally valuable political asset capable of uniting an otherwise divided country [2,5]. Having seen off six prime ministers, he is living proof that the real power at 10 Downing Street does not stem from winning elections, but from the absolute disregard of everyone around him.

List of References

[1] Larry the Cat marks 15 years as Chief Mouser at 10 Downing Street under six Prime Ministers | CNN https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/16/world/video/larry-cat-downing-street-15-years-vrtc

[2] Larry the cat FINALLY catches a rodent: Downing Street’s 19-year-old chief mouser shows off his ‘skills’ for the TV cameras | Daily Mail Online https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15699193/Larry-cat-rodent-Downing-Street-TV-camera.html

[3] 'First feline' Larry marks 15 years as Britain's political top cat https://www.nbcnews.com/world/united-kingdom/first-feline-larry-marks-15-years-britains-political-top-cat-rcna259129

[4] Larry the Cat is celebrating 15 years as Downing Street’s chief mouser https://www.itv.com/watch/news/larry-the-cat-is-celebrating-15-years-as-downing-streets-chief-mouser/sdq4s3b

[5] Larry (cat) - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_(cat)

[6] 'Chief Mouser' Larry the Cat Has Now Outlasted 4 UK Prime Ministers https://www.huffpost.com/entry/larry-cat-outlasts-prime-ministers-uk-liz-truss_n_63541ef8e4b08e0e608f2b7d

[7] Larry the Cat, aged 19, set to keep working at No. 10 | LBC https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/no-10-downing-street-larry-cat-retire-5HjdSX7_2

[8] Larry the Cat Marks 15 Years as Britain’s ‘First Feline’ | AP News https://apnews.com/article/larry-cat-downing-street-anniversary-c5dd5cecf43867c2f53c307031d6717a

[9] Larry the Downing Street Cat: Feline icon bigger than Brexit, Boris Johnson | news.com.au — Australia’s leading news site for the latest headlines https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/good-news/meet-larry-chief-mouser-of-the-uk-and-perhaps-the-most-powerful-feline-in-the-world/news-story/b2cd9f35d56543a0abbc4ce9ee11c32d

[10] Larry the Cat, the United Kingdom’s ‘chief mouser,’ outlasts five prime ministers | Fox News https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/larry-cat-united-kingdoms-chief-mouser-outlasts-five-prime-ministers

[11] Larry the Cat outlasts another UK prime minister https://www.usatoday.com/story/pets-animals/2026/06/23/larry-the-cat-outlasts-uk-prime-minister/90664007007

[12] How Larry the Cat became the UK’s “chief mouser” at 10 Downing Street https://www.usatoday.com/story/pets-animals/cat/2026/05/13/larry-the-cat-uk-10-downing-street/90062365007

[13] A Century of Chief Mousers: The Cats Who Ruled Downing Street | Furrend https://furrend.xyz/blog/story-archive/a_century_of_chief_mousers_at_10_downing_street

[14] Larry the Cat and His Storied Life With 5 Prime Ministers https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/larry-cat-storied-life-5-165340322.html

[15] Chief mouser Palmerston dies after retiring in Bermuda—and Larry the Cat leads tributes https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/chief-mouser-palmerston-dies-after-36723168

[16] 'First feline' Larry marks 15 years as Britain's political top cat | Courthouse News Service https://www.courthousenews.com/first-feline-larry-marks-15-years-as-britains-political-top-cat

[17] At 19, Larry is still the #1 protector at 10 Downing Street! Happy Birthday, Larry! | Tellyspotting https://tellyspotting.kera.org/2026/01/13/at-19-larry-still-the-1-protector-at-10