The catfight at No10
Osborne’s tabby takes on the Prime Mouser... and wins
DAVID Cameron and George Osborne insist they enjoy a more cordial alliance than some previous occupants of Downing Street. But their pets are not afraid to get their claws out over who would make a better PM – that is, Prime Mouser. Just before dawn yesterday, Freya, the Chancellor’s cat, took on Larry, the Prime Minister’s pet, in a very public catfight. After circling her opponent with what onlookers described as a ‘deathly stare’, the street’s feisty newcomer attacked. Larry attempted to put up a fight, but after Freya landed a paw on his neck he was forced to flee back to Number 10. Witnesses said that relations between the two cats have been strained since Freya usurped Larry from his role of prowling the corridors of power. Larry was appointed Chief Mouser to the Cabinet shortly after he was brought in to deal with the rodent problem on Downing Street in February last year. But his kill rate failed to meet Government targets, and like his owner he became the subject of accusations that he spent too much time ‘chillaxing’. Swiftly earning a reputation for napping rather than ratting, it took him 18 months to record his first confirmed kill. Then last month it emerged that Larry had been victim of a Government reshuffle as the Prime Minister sacked him as Chief Mouser to the Cabinet. Mr Cameron, who admitted Larry was a ‘terrible mouser’, had apparently grown tired of his lethargy. He is thought to have found Larry dozing in the Number 10 study as a mouse ran across the room. The Chancellor’s tabby Freya was then given the role of Chief Mouser. Freya, who arrived in Downing Street in June after going missing from Mr Osborne’s previous home for three years, is thought to be an altogether more tough and streetwise predator and has been described as a ‘lethal feline killing machine’. After the pair’s altercation just before 7am yesterday, Freya later walked past Number 10 to stare at Larry, who was seen sitting in the window while Mr Cameron held a Cabinet meeting inside. A Downing Street regular said: ‘Apparently they have not got on for a while, she has clearly taken over the turf. Scuffles between them have been going on.’ When asked about relations between the two cats, the Prime Minister’s spokesman said simply: ‘They co-exist.’