LONDON (AP) — Larry the cat, a four-legged inhabitant of London’s 10 Downing St., is marking a decade as Britain’s mouse-catcher in chief on Monday.
The tabby cat was recruited by then-Prime Minister David Cameron to deal with a pack of rats seen scuttling close to the British leader’s official residence, and entered Downing Street on Feb. 15, 2011.
The former stray, adopted from London’s Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, was given the title Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office, an unofficial pest control post. He was the first cat to hold the rat-catching portfolio since the retirement of Humphrey in 1997, and has loyally served three prime ministers.
FILE – In this Tuesday Feb. 15, 2011 file photo, Larry, Downing Street’s new official rat catcher, looks out of a window in the Prime Minister’s residence in London, shortly after his arrival. Monday, Feb. 15, 2021 marks the 10th anniversary of rescue cat Larry becoming Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office in a bid to deal with a rat problem at 10 Downing Street. (Mark Large/Pool photo via AP, file) 
FILE – In this Tuesday Feb. 15, 2011 file photo, Larry the new cat for 10 Downing Street, walks down the stairs of the Prime Minister David Cameron’s official residence in London. Monday, Feb. 15, 2021 marks the 10th anniversary of rescue cat Larry becoming Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office in a bid to deal with a rat problem at 10 Downing Street. (Mark Large/Pool photo via AP, file) 
FILE -In this Thursday, May 21, 2020 file photo, Larry, the official 10 Downing Street cat walks outside 10 Downing Street before the nationwide Clap for Carers to recognise and support National Health Service (NHS) workers and carers fighting the coronavirus pandemic, in London. Monday, Feb. 15, 2021 marks the 10th anniversary of rescue cat Larry becoming Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office in a bid to deal with a rat problem at 10 Downing Street. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, file) 
FILE – In this Wednesday, July 13, 2016 file photo, Larry the Downing Street cat sits on the steps of 10 Downing Street in London, after Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron left to face prime minister’s questions for the last time. Monday, Feb. 15, 2021 marks the 10th anniversary of rescue cat Larry becoming Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office in a bid to deal with a rat problem at 10 Downing Street. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, file) 
FILE – In this Saturday, March 23, 2019 file photo, demonstrators carry a poster with a picture of 10 Downing Street’s cat Larry during a Peoples Vote anti-Brexit march in London. Monday, Feb. 15, 2021 marks the 10th anniversary of rescue cat Larry becoming Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office in a bid to deal with a rat problem at 10 Downing Street. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File) 
FILE – In this Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2011 file photo, Larry the new cat for 10 Downing Street, the official residence for the British Prime Minister, arrives at his new home London. Monday, Feb. 15, 2021 marks the 10th anniversary of rescue cat Larry becoming Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office in a bid to deal with a rat problem at 10 Downing Street. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, file) 
FILE – In this Monday, Jan. 16, 2012 file photo, Larry the cat sits on the red carpet as he awaits Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at Downing Street in London. Monday, Feb. 15, 2021 marks the 10th anniversary of rescue cat Larry becoming Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office in a bid to deal with a rat problem at 10 Downing Street. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, file) 
FILE – In this Tuesday, June 13, 2017 file photo, Larry the 10 Downing street cat yawns whilst lying on the street as the leader of Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) Arlene Foster meets with Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May in 10 Downing Street n London. Monday, Feb. 15, 2021 marks the 10th anniversary of rescue cat Larry becoming Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office in a bid to deal with a rat problem at 10 Downing Street. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, file) 
FILE – In this Thursday, Dec. 24, 2020 file photo, Larry the cat, Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office catches a pigeon as journalists await results of the Brexit trade deal in Downing Street in London. Monday, Feb. 15, 2021 marks the 10th anniversary of rescue cat Larry becoming Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office in a bid to deal with a rat problem at 10 Downing Street. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, file) 
FILE – In this Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020 file photo, Larry the cat, Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office at 10 Downing Street, sits in the street of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s official residence in London. Monday, Feb. 15, 2021 marks the 10th anniversary of rescue cat Larry becoming Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office in a bid to deal with a rat problem at 10 Downing Street. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, file)
But it seems like yesterday that Larry was just another cat — as opposed to a media superstar — said Lindsey Quinlan, the head of cattery of Battersea.
“Throughout his time at Number 10, Larry has proven himself to not only be a brilliant ambassador for Battersea but also demonstrated to millions of people around the world how incredible rescue cats are,’’ she said. “His rags to riches tale is yet more proof of why all animals deserve a second chance — one minute they may be an overlooked stray on the streets, the next they could become one of the nation’s beloved political figures, with fans around the world.”
Larry, who has met a number of world leaders, has been largely unfriendly to men but took a liking to former U.S. President Barack Obama. When former President Donald Trump visited in 2019, Larry took a nap under his car.
His grip on the public imagination is clear — and political leaders know better than to ignore that popularity. The tomcat was a sentimental topic of conversation in Cameron’s final appearance in Parliament as prime minister when he said he wanted to quash a rumor that — perish the thought — he didn’t like Larry.
And just to prove it, he whipped out evidence: a picture of Larry lying on his lap.
“He belongs to the house and the staff love him very much — as do I,” he said at the time, explaining why he wasn’t taking Larry with him after leaving office.
After the December 2019 election, rumors swirled that Larry might be headed for retirement with the news that the new prime minister, Boris Johnson, was a dog man. However, despite the prime minister moving Jack Russell cross Dilyn into Downing Street, Larry remained in office.
Reports of his rodent-killing abilities vary. Larry became known for his occasional scraps with neighboring cats — especially Palmerston, chief mouser to the Foreign Office across the street — and fondness for sleep. Palmerston has retired to the country, so things have been a bit quieter of late.
These days Larry, now 14, is often seen by photographers patrolling his turf. Visitors to the building can sometimes find him napping on a ledge above a radiator or sleeping on a floor, where dignitaries occasionally have to step over him.
At the heart of government, he specializes in power naps.
