Larry the Cat, the most renowned feline in the United Kingdom, is set to welcome his seventh resident at 10 Downing Street on Monday. Having roamed the corridors of power for over 15 years, Larry has become a fixture at the official residence of British prime ministers, according to reports from AFP.
A message shared on Larry’s social media account, @Number10cat, states, “Politicians come and go; cats stay,” as anticipation builds for the arrival of the new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, who succeeds Keir Starmer.
Known for his clear preferences, Larry has already conveyed his instructions: “Larry enjoys breakfast at 9 AM, brunch at 10:30 AM, and lunch at noon, with plenty of snacks in between. The rest of the work is a piece of cake.”
According to France’s AFP, there are four intriguing details about this permanent resident of 10 Downing Street.
Background
Larry arrived at 10 Downing Street on February 15, 2011, having been rescued from a Battersea shelter, with a mission to catch mice in the iconic political building. This tabby cat, with a blend of brown and gray fur adorned with white patches, is officially titled the “Chief Mouser” on the Downing Street website.
The official site notes that Larry spends his days greeting guests, inspecting security devices, and testing the quality of antique furniture for his afternoon siestas. While his exact age has not been officially disclosed, his social media account suggests he is 19 years old.
The Cycle of Prime Ministers
Before Andy Burnham’s arrival, Larry has met six previous UK prime ministers. He was brought to Downing Street by Conservative leader David Cameron, who left office in 2016 following the Brexit referendum.
Since then, Larry witnessed the tumultuous separation of the UK from the EU, which led to Theresa May’s removal in 2019 and was present during the “Partygate” scandal involving Boris Johnson amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
He also encountered Liz Truss, the brief prime minister who served only 49 days in 2022, and experienced the political shift when Rishi Sunak was succeeded by Labour’s Keir Starmer after the July 2024 elections.
A Feline Celebrity
Larry boasts an impressive following of over 900,000 on his social media account, which humorously critiques the weather and often pokes fun at politicians, particularly targeting Nigel Farage, leader of the anti-immigration Reform UK party.
His first 100 days at Downing Street were even chronicled in a book titled “The Larry Diaries,” published in October 2011.
As a global celebrity, Larry frequently outshines visiting foreign leaders in front of journalists. Notably, in December 2025, he made headlines when he sat on the steps of the residence during a visit from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
His Companions
During Keir Starmer’s two-year tenure, Larry had to adapt to the presence of Starmer’s two cats, JoJo and Prince. Downing Street is not only an office but also a residence for serving prime ministers who choose to live there.
It remains to be seen how Larry will coexist with the new government head, whose family includes a dog named Axel. It is uncertain whether Axel will relocate from Manchester to London.
