September 3, 2024, 10:41 am | Read time: 4 minutes
Anyone who has ever tried to get one cat used to another knows how much work has to be put into socialization. And sometimes, despite all the effort, the first cats don’t like the new ones. This fate awaits one of the world’s most famous cats: Downing Street cat Larry.
On a walk through London’s Downing Street, many tourists simply walk past one of the most famous buildings in London’s capital. The slate gray façade of No. 10 Downing Street, where the British Prime Minister has his official residence, hardly stands out from the adjacent buildings. So unless dignitaries drive up in black limousines, you can’t guess what is happening behind the scenes from the outside. But for government cat Larry, this is probably just the calm before the storm. This is because the new Prime Minister Starmer is bringing not just one, but soon two cats with him. Will that suit the “supreme mouser” of the realm?
Downing Street cat defends his territory
Larry the cat has lived in Downing Street for more than 13 years – longer than most British prime ministers – and is regarded as the secret ruler of the seat of government. As “Chief Mouse Catcher to the Cabinet Office,” he even holds an office that is listed on the official website of the British government. He is also known for defending his territory. Like against Palmerston, a tomcat who held the office of “Chief Mouser” at the Overseas and Commonwealth Office in White Hall until 20201 And if a fox ventures into his territory, the tomcat can get rowdy.
He has also seen Conservative prime ministers Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and most recently, Rishi Sunak and their pets come and go. However, Labor Prime Minister Keir Starmer is not only bringing a breath of fresh air to Parliament but also to Downing Street. Because he and his family have themselves come with a cat. The family – the Prime Minister and wife Victoria have two teenagers – had already brought their own cat called Jojo with them when they moved into Downing Street.
Soon, there will be even more competition for the popular cat Larry on Downing Street. The new British Prime Minister’s children will get another cat. He has had “a long summer of negotiations” about a dog, Starmer told the BBC on his 62nd birthday. “We are now getting a kitten instead of a dog.” Starmer’s children had originally wanted a sheepdog, as the leader of the Social Democratic Labor Party had said during the election campaign.
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Will there be a cat flap in the door?
“It’s a Siberian kitten; my daughter is picking it up today,” Starmer said. Larry doesn’t mind Jojo, Starmer said. Whether this applies to the new kitten remains to be seen. After all, the “Chief Mouser” himself is no longer the youngest at an estimated 17 years of age – a kitten suddenly appearing on his territory could go against the grain.
But Starmer and his family seem to have other concerns: Where should the cat flap be put? Because the high-security precautions for the seat of government present them with a problem. The only door in the new apartment is bomb-proof. “Installing a cat flap is a bit difficult,” reported the prime minister. “But our children have convinced us that the problem is no greater with two cats than with one. So now we’re getting this kitten.” It is not known whether Larry approves of these structural changes to his “No. 10” or would welcome the fact that Starmer’s cats could then move around freely there.
Starmer is already the sixth prime minister to live with Larry. David Cameron brought the cat into the seat of government in 2011 – to solve the rat problem. First and foremost, however, the animal passes the time of waiting journalists, for example, by chasing pigeons. Given Larry’s advanced age, the government is reportedly already preparing how it will one day inform the population of the death of the popular cat. But according to all reports, he is still in good health.
With material from dpa