Larry, No.10's 'Chief Mouser', Celebrates 10 Years at Downing Street

A brown-white tabby has outserved two British prime ministers and is now sharing his lodgings with a third one.

Meet Larry the Cat, the chief mouser at the Cabinet Office, who has been on watch at 10 Downing Street since 2011.

While prime ministers come and go, and decisions on major political events shake Downing Street’s walls,  there is always a cat that holds the fort and protects No. 10 from encroaching rodents. 

Larry’s career in “the office” was marked by two major events, which could have had political consequences. First, the cat sneaked under then-US President Donald Trump’s limo while he was paying a visit to Downing Street in 2019, making it hard for security agents to assess the situation.

Another memorable moment involving the feline was captured not that long ago: on 24 December, as the British and European public eagerly awaited an update on the post-Brexit trade deal, Larry was spotted "hunting" down a pigeon in front of cameras. He's always in the spotlight!

This time around, Larry is probably hunting down another intruder, so let us just wish his eyes remain bright and clear and his teeth stay sharp, while his sense of smell only grows stronger. 

Happy tenth anniversary, Larry!

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© AFP 2023 / Pool / Ben Stansall

Larry, the 10 Downing Street cat, sits on a chair wearing a British Union Jack bow tie ahead of the Downing Street street party, in central London, on 28 April 2011.

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© AP Photo / Pool / Carl Court

Claire Horton, CEO of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home in London, holds 'Larry' before he is taken to the British Prime Ministers residence, 10 Downing Street, on Tuesday 15 February 2011.

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© Photo : Public Domain

British Prime Minister David Cameron introduces President Barack Obama to Larry the cat at 10 Downing Street in London, England, 25 May 2011.

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© AFP 2023 / Pool / Ben Stansall

Larry, the 10 Downing Street cat, walks on the cabinet table wearing a British Union Jack bow tie ahead of the Downing Street street party, in central London, on 28 April 2011.

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© AFP 2023 / Justin Tallis

British Prime Minister David Cameron's Cat, Larry (L), comes face to face with a police dog called Bailey (R) as it does security checks outside the door of 10 Downing Street in London on 30 March 2015.

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© AFP 2023 / Ben Stansall

Larry the 10 Downing Street cat rest on the window sill as Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May (2L) and her husband Philip May (L) greet US President Donald Trump (2R) and US First Lady Melania Trump (R) outside 10 Downing Street in London on 4 June 2019, on the second day of their three-day State Visit to the UK.

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© AP Photo / Frank Augstein

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, Thursday, 24 December 2020.

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© AFP 2023 / Chris J Ratcliffe

A former British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson leaves 10 Downing Street after a meeting of the Cabinet as Larry (L) the Downing Street cat goes in in central London on 10 January 2017.

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© AP Photo / Frank Augstein

School children approach Downing Street chief mouser Larry the cat, as they leave after a scheduled meeting with Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson at 10 Downing Street in London, 30 August 2019.

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© AFP 2023 / Justin Tallis

Larry the cat is stroked by a journalist in Downing Street, central London on 16 June 16 2020.

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© AP Photo / Pool / Mark Large

In this Tuesday 15 February 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, 15 February 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.

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© AFP 2023 / Justin Tallis

In this file photo taken on 9 December 2020 Larry the 10 Downing Street cat sits with press photographers as they work in Downing Street in central London. His longevity is cause for envy: in office for 10 years, he has served the United Kingdom under three prime ministers. Between naps, yawns and bursts of energy, Larry the cat, Britain's official Chief Mouser, reigns supreme at 10 Downing Street.

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© AP Photo / Pool / Mark Large

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, Tuesday 15 February 2011. The feline weapon has been taken on after a rodent was spotted scuttling past live TV cameras twice last month. It is the first such official appointment since stalwart ratter Humphrey was retired in 1997, shortly after Tony Blair arrived in Downing Street.