Larry (cat)

Official duties

The Downing Street website describes Larry's duties as "greeting guests to the house, inspecting security defences, and testing antique furniture for napping quality". It also states that Larry is "contemplating a solution to the mouse occupancy of the house" and says that he has told Downing Street that such a solution is still in the "tactical planning stage".

Unlike his predecessors since 1929, Larry's upkeep is funded by the staff of 10 Downing Street. Fund-raising events to pay for his food are believed to have included a quiz night for Downing Street staff held in the state rooms.

Arrival at Downing Street

Larry is a rescued stray cat from the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home who was chosen by Downing Street staff. In 2011 he replaced the previous Downing Street cat Sybil, who died in 2009. Larry was intended to be a pet for the children of David and Samantha Cameron, and was described by Downing Street sources as a "good ratter" and as having "a high chase-drive and hunting instinct". In 2012, Battersea Dogs and Cats Home revealed that Larry's popularity had resulted in a surge of 15% more people adopting cats.

Soon after he was taken in at Downing Street, a story ran in the press claiming that Larry was a lost cat and that the original owner had started a campaign to retrieve him. However, the story was later revealed to be a hoax, and no such owner nor campaign existed.

Work as Chief Mouser

Within a month of his arrival at Downing Street, anonymous sources described Larry as having "a distinct lack of killer instinct." Larry made his first kill – a mouse – on 22 April 2011. Later that year was revealed that Larry was spending more time sleeping than hunting for mice, and spending time in the company of a female cat, Maisie. At one point in 2011, mice were so endemic in Downing Street that the Prime Minister resorted to throwing a fork at a mouse during a Cabinet dinner. On 28 August 2012 Larry made his first killing of a mouse in public, dropping the creature on the lawn in front of Number 10.

In 2012, Larry was reported to have been sacked and replaced by George Osborne's cat Freya. Larry shared the role of Chief Mouser with Freya until her departure from Downing Street in 2014.

In October 2013, Larry caught four mice in two weeks and one staff member had rescued a mouse from Larry's clutches.

In July 2015, George Osborne and Cabinet Office Minister Matthew Hancock cornered a mouse in the Chancellor of the Exchequer's office, trapping it in a brown paper sandwich bag. The press joked that the Chancellor of the Exchequer might take over the Chief Mouser position.

David Cameron explained during his final Prime Minister's Questions in 2016 that Larry is a civil servant and not personal property, so would not leave Downing Street after a change of premier. The Labour Party has confirmed that in the event a Labour government, Larry would remain as Chief Mouser.

Relationships with politicians

David Cameron has said that Larry is a "bit nervous" around men, speculating that, since Larry was a rescue cat, this may be due to negative experiences in his past. Cameron mentioned that US President Barack Obama is an apparent exception to this fear: he said, "Funnily enough he liked Obama. Obama gave him a stroke and he was all right with Obama."

In September 2013, tensions were reportedly growing between Cameron and Larry. It was reported that Cameron objected to cat hair on his suit, and the smell of cat food had to be disguised by air freshener when Downing Street had visitors. The Camerons were said not to like Larry, amid suggestions that the pet was a public relations prop. Cameron posted to Twitter saying that he and Larry got on "purr-fectly well". Nevertheless, bookmakers Ladbrokes made Cameron the odds-on (1/2) favourite to leave Downing Street first, with Larry as the 6/4 outsider. The Daily Telegraph suggested that Cameron never really liked cats but that spin doctors believed Larry could make the PM appear more friendly. When leaving office in 2016, Cameron spoke of his "sadness" that he could not take Larry with him. When Theresa May became Prime Minister in 2016, there were concerns that Larry was stressed and could be missing the Cameron family.

In August 2016, Sir Alistair Graham, former chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, responded to controversy over favoritism in Cameron's Dissolution Honours List by joking that he was "surprised Larry the cat didn't get one".

Relationships with other animals

In June 2012, George Osborne was reunited with his long lost cat Freya, who moved into 11 Downing Street. Freya and Larry were reported to have rapidly established cordial relations, although the two cats had been seen fighting. Freya was reported to be the more dominant cat and more effective mouser, reportedly because her days as a stray had "hardened" her. In November 2014, Freya left Downing Street, leaving Larry with the sole mousing responsibility.

In 2014, Osborne brought in a pet dog, Lola. Aides announced that Lola got on well with both Larry and Freya.

In April 2016, a new feline neighbour, Palmerston, moved into the Foreign Office. The two cats fought on numerous occasions. The Leader of the House commented that he hoped that Palmerston and Larry would establish a "modus vivendi". In July of that year, Palmerston entered Number 10 and had to be forcibly evicted by security staff. In September 2016, Lord Blencathra, submitted a question in the House of Lords of why the government did not pay for Larry's veterinary bill for an injury picked up in a fight against Palmerston, and whether the government would refund civil servants who paid for Larry's care. Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen, the government’s spokesman in the Lords, said: "The costs were met by staff through voluntary staff donations due to their affection for Larry."

On 1 August 2016, according to the political photographer, Steve Beck, Larry had his "most brutal fight yet" with Palmerston on the steps of Number 10. During the fight Larry lost his collar, whilst Palmerston suffered from several deep scratches and a badly cut ear.

In August 2016, it emerged the Cabinet Office were considering also appointing another Chief Mouser to deal with their mouse problem. The Chief Whip, Gavin Williamson, said that the cat would be called Cromwell.

Territory

In 2011, Larry was banned from the Prime Minister's quarters in 10 Downing Street as his fur was ruining the Prime Minister's fresh suits.

Former deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has described an internal Downing Street security door which requires microphone contact for access as being increasingly "not for security, but to keep the cats out from one end of the building to another". In February 2013, a cat-proof barrier was erected to prevent Larry and his neighbour Freya from getting into the Foreign Office, after complaints from staff members with allergies. William Hague later asked that the barrier be taken down.

In December 2015 former Home Secretary David Blunkett suggested that Larry should be asked to increase his responsibilities to include the Palace of Westminster, which at the time was being overrun by rodents.

Awards and recognition

Larry was honoured with a blue plaque at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home in October 2012.

Popular culture

A book, written in character as Larry, Larry Diaries: Downing Street – the First 100 Days by former Guardian journalist James Robinson was published in 2011. A picture gallery to celebrate Larry's first two years in office was produced by The Daily Telegraph.

In 2012, Larry was visible on the Google Street View of Number 10, asleep next to the door.

Larry's exploits and observations on life at Number 10 became the subject of a weekly cartoon in The Sunday Express drawn by cartoonist Ted Harrison.