The furry feline ruling 10 Downing street
United Kingdom
United Kingdom

The furry feline ruling 10 Downing street

There are a lot of changes happening at Downing Street - but luckily for the British public, Larry the Cat remains a constant. 

He’s been described as a friendly presence within the chaos at Number 10. 

But who does this beautiful tabby belong to? 

With the important details, here’s our World News Editor Kate Gregan.

Larry the cat is not just a well-known pet that spends his time lounging around Downing Street - he’s a living legend. 

The brown and white tabby has held the title of Chief Mouser since 2011 after he was adopted by Number 10 staff.

The official website describes Larry’s duties as ‘greeting guests to the house, inspecting security defences, and testing antique furniture for napping quality.’

He has been the favourite feline of three Prime Ministers, David Cameron, Theresa May, and Boris Johnson.

David Cameron held Larry in such high regard, that he even got a mention in the former leader’s final speech in the House of Commons. 

"Sadly I can't take Larry with me, he belongs to the house and the staff love him very much as do I."

But Larry’s job performance has come under some scrutiny in the past. 

Within a month of his arrival at Downing Street, anonymous sources told The Daily Telegraph that Larry displayed ‘a distinct lack of killer instinct.’

That being said, he has killed a number of rodents over the years. 

Larry is very popular among Downing Street staffers and receives lots of pets from police officers and the media. 

Today FM’s Lloyd Burr had the pleasure of meeting Larry on a number of occasions when he lived in the UK.

"He is the sassiest cat. He will sit by the door and they will open the door and he won't even go in then he will turn around and you call him while you're waiting for the live cross and he'll strut on over and you will reach out to pat him and he'll be like 'Nah I don't care about you' and he'll just sass off to the middle.

"He's just sassy to everyone, the police, the politicians, the press, the public, it's hilarious."

News photographer Justin Ng has snapped the cat dozens - if not hundreds - of times.

"He is very photogenic and also he is very media savvy. If you take a photograph, if he's got his back turned to you he will actually turn around and do an over the shoulder much like a film star might do."

And he’s such a star, that his unofficial Twitter account has amassed more than 630,000 followers.