Larry the cat back in No 10 after operation
Larry the cat is roaming the corridors of power again, sporting a large scar and shaved fur - No 10 Downing Street/Ben Perry
Larry the cat is back in No 10 after undergoing an emergency operation.
After having a cyst removed, the 19-year-old is said to be on the mend and “feline much better”, despite sporting a large scar and shaven fur.
In February, the tabby and white cat celebrated 15 years as No 10’s chief mouser to the Cabinet Office.
Larry arrived from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home in 2011 and has been one of the few constants at No 10, currently living under the same roof as its seventh prime minister.
A Downing Street source told LBC that Larry was “doing well” and was “already back to roaming the building”.
Larry the cat back home after a minor operation - No 10 Downing Street/Ben Perry
The source said: “He is feline much better but taking things one paw at a time. We are grateful to the vets for their outstanding care.”
Andy Burnham, who decided against taking his dog Axel to No 10 for fear that the two “wouldn’t get on”, is reportedly looking at getting a cat for No 10 North, which he opened in Manchester shortly after coming into office.
Under Sir Keir Starmer’s premiership, Larry shared Downing Street with Jojo, a rescue cat, and a Siberian kitten named Prince.
Larry has now served more occupants of Downing Street than any predecessors, but has two more years to fight Westminster’s rodents to become the longest-serving mouser.
Larry the cat is living with the seventh prime minister since arriving at No 10 in 2011 - Anadolu via Getty Images/Thomas Krych
That accolade is held by Peter III, who held the post between 1947 and 1964 but only served under five prime ministers – Clement Attlee, Winston Churchill, Anthony Eden, Harold Macmillan and Alec Douglas-Home.
The original Peter was the second cat to serve in the formal role, succeeding Treasury Bill, and was in post for 17 years.
Between the two cats came Peter II, who took the job as a two-month-old kitten but was struck by a car in Whitehall after six months and was put to sleep shortly afterwards.
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Source: Nature