Larry the Cat is top dog at Downing Street

LONDON: A stalwart of British politics, Larry the Cat has ruled the roost in Downing Street for a decade, serving three prime ministers and becoming a legend in his own naptime.

The tabby-and-white cat arrived at 10 Downing Street on February 15, 2011, at the age of four. He was adopted from an animal shelter and was chosen for his mousing skills.

He received the title of

Chief Mouser but while he did catch three mice in his early months, according to his first prime minister David Cameron, he has since disappointed, leaving the role in the “tactical planning stage”.

While lacking the killer instinct, this nonchalant operator has clung onto power. When Mr Cameron left Downing Street in 2016, Larry stayed on. Mr Cameron even had to fight off rumours of a rift with his four-legged housemate at his last Prime Minister’s Questions session. He held aloft a photo of them together, denying suggestions that “somehow I don’t love Larry”.

Since seen as belonging to Downing Street staff, Larry has cohabited with Theresa May and now Boris Johnson.

Larry has rubbed up against numerous world leaders on state visits — with varying degrees of friendliness.

While he let Barack Obama stroke him, he sat underneath Donald Trump’s limousine, “The Beast”, and stubbornly refused to move.

Contacted via his unofficial Twitter account @Number10cat, Larry said: “The key thing to remember is that I live here permanently, the politicians just lodge with me for a bit until they’re fired. They all work out sooner or later that it’s me that runs the place.”