LONDON, Feb 15, (V7N)- Larry, the UK’s most famous feline, celebrates 15 years on Sunday as Chief Mouser at 10 Downing Street, where he has charmed politicians, dignitaries and the public alike.

Adopted from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home in 2011 to tackle a rodent problem, Larry was introduced on the Downing Street website as “Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office.” His official biography notes that beyond rodent control, he spends his days greeting guests, inspecting security defences and testing antique furniture for napping quality.

Over the years, Larry has lived through six prime ministers — from David Cameron to Keir Starmer — and witnessed Brexit, Covid-19, “partygate,” and Liz Truss’s 49-day tenure. Now believed to be around 19 years old, he remains unfazed by political crises, often stealing the spotlight from visiting leaders. In recent months, he greeted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and startled photographers during Poland’s presidential visit.

Larry has also become a social media star. His unofficial X account, @Number10cat, has more than 877,500 followers, where he “comments” on politics and daily life. His early months even inspired a book, *The Larry Diaries*. He now shares Downing Street with Starmer family cats JoJo and Prince, though Larry remains the permanent civil servant — unlike prime ministers.

Larry joins a tradition of political cats worldwide. Palmerston, the Foreign Office’s former “Diplocat,” retired in 2020 and recently passed away in Bermuda. In the US, Socks lived at the White House under President Bill Clinton, while Belgium’s Prime Minister Bart De Wever has a rescue cat named Maximus as his social media sidekick.

Fifteen years on, Larry continues to reign supreme at Britain’s most photographed doorstep, embodying continuity and calm amid political turbulence.

END/WD/RH