In turbulent political times, stability comes with four legs, whiskers and a fondness for napping. Larry the cat recently celebrated 15 years as the British government’s official rodent-catcher and unofficial first feline, a reassuring presence that has served under six prime ministers. “Larry the cat’s approval ratings will be very high, and prime ministers tend not to hit those numbers,” said Philip Howell, a Cambridge University professor who has studied the history of human-animal relations. “He represents stability, and that’s at a premium.” The gray-and-white tabby’s rags-to-riches story has taken him from stray on the streets to Britain’s seat of power at 10 Downing Street, where he bears the official title Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office. Adopted from London’s Battersea Dogs and Cats Home by then-Prime Minister David Cameron, Larry entered Downing Street on Feb. 15, 2011. His duties include greeting guests, inspecting security defenses, and testing antique furniture for napping quality. Larry roams freely and has a knack for upstaging world leaders arriving at 10 Downing Street's famous black door, to the delight of news photographers. Reports of Larry’s rodent-catching skills vary, though he has been photographed snagging the occasional mouse — and, once, a pigeon, which promptly escaped. Larry is in the neighborhood of 18-19 years old, so he has slowed down a bit, but still continues to patrol his turf and sleep on a window ledge above a radiator inside the front door. He is British power in feline form, so a cat-hating prime minister would be certain political suicide.
