Photos: Larry, 10 Downing Street’s Chief Mouser, completes a decade in office
Published on Feb 17, 2021 02:43 PM IST
- February 15 marked the 10th year in office for Larry, a rescue cat with a rags-to-riches story. One minute an overlooked stray on the streets, the tabby cat became one of the Britain’s beloved political figures, with fans around the world becoming. Larry was recruited in 2011 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 service at Downing Street. While his rodent-killing abilities may be up for debate, at the heart of government, Larry famously specializes in power naps.
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Published on Feb 17, 2021 02:43 PM IST
Larry the cat, sitting on the red carpet, awaits Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at Downing Street in London on January 16, 2012. Larry, a four-legged inhabitant of London's 10 Downing St. marked a decade as Britain's mouse-catcher in chief on February 15.(Kirsty Wigglesworth / AP)
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A demonstrator’s placard features a picture of Larry during a Peoples Vote anti-Brexit march in London on March 23, 2019. 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.(Kirsty Wigglesworth / AP)
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Larry, looks out of a window in the Prime Minister's residence in London, shortly after his arrival on February 15, 2011. Larry is the first cat to hold the rat-catching portfolio since the retirement of Humphrey in 1997, and has loyally served three prime ministers.(Mark Large / Pool photo via AP)
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Larry, the official 10 Downing Street cat, seen before the nationwide Clap for Carers to recognise and support National Health Service (NHS) workers and carers fighting the coronavirus pandemic on May 21, 2020.(Frank Augstein / AP)
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Larry, sitting under a table in then Prime Minister David Cameron's official residence in London, on February 15, 2011. After the December 2019 election, rumors swirled that Larry might be headed for retirement with the news that the new prime minister, Boris Johnson, a dog man. However, despite the prime minister moving Jack Russell cross Dilyn into Downing Street, Larry remains in office.(Mark Large / Pool photo via AP)
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Larry, yawns whilst lying on the street as the leader of Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) Arlene Foster meets with then Prime Minister Theresa May on June 13, 2017. Over the years, Larry has become known for his occasional scraps with neighboring cats and fondness for sleep. Reports of his rodent-killing abilities vary.(Frank Augstein / AP)
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Larry sitting in the street of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's official residence in London on December 9, 2020. These days Larry, now 14, is often seen by photographers patrolling his turf.(Frank Augstein / AP)
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Published on Feb 17, 2021 02:43 PM IST