Cat Celebrates 10 Years with British Prime Ministers
Larry the cat, who lives at London's 10 Downing Street, the official home of the British prime minister, has celebrated ten years as the government's top rat catcher.
Former Prime Minister David Cameron got Larry because of a group of rats living close to Number 10. He started his new job on February 15, 2011, and has since worked for three prime ministers.
The cat used to be a stray and was adopted from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home. Lindsey Quinlan of the animal home said that Larry has shown millions of people how amazing adopted cats can be, and proven that all animals should be given a second chance.
"One minute they may be an overlooked stray on the streets, the next they could become one of the nation's beloved political figures, with fans around the world," Quinlan said.
Larry often appears on TV as he walks in front of cameras outside 10 Downing Street, and has almost 450,000 followers on Twitter.
Larry, who has met a number of world leaders, is usually unfriendly to men, but liked former President Barack Obama. When former President Donald Trump visited in 2019, Larry took a nap under his car.
When Cameron left Downing Street in 2016, Larry kept his job. "He belongs to the house and the staff love him very much — as do I," Cameron said at the time.
After the December 2019 UK election, some people thought Larry might leave Number 10 because the new prime minister, Boris Johnson, is a dog person. But even though the prime minister moved in with his dog, Larry stayed.
