Larry the Downing Street cat has gone viral again – this time for going above and beyond his official brief.
As “chief mouser”, the tabby is expected to keep mice away from No. 10.
But in a positive sign that at least something is functioning at the heart of government, Larry has been captured on camera chasing a fox from outside the prime minister’s official residence.
Footage captured by Sky News shows the determined tabby slowing stalking an emaciated looking fox before springing into action.
Larry was only four years old when he was adopted from Battersea Dogs and Cats home to begin his new life in politics and has served as a trusted companion to David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson and now Liz Truss.
Recruited in 2011, he was Britain’s first chief mouser at No.10 since stalwart ratter, Humphrey, retired in 1997.
In December 2020, Larry was caught in a scuffle with a pigeon. The tabby stalked the bird outside the prime minister’s official residence as members of the press watched on with their cameras poised.
When US president Donald Trump visited in 2019, Larry was seen creating a potential security threat by taking his afternoon nap under the president’s car, named The Beast.
Even something as simple as getting caught in the rain was enough to melt the hearts of the nation, and in 2018 video of a damp Larry being escorted through the front door by a kind policeman went viral.
According to the Downing Street website, Larry “spends his days greeting guests to the house, inspecting security defences and testing antique furniture for napping quality”.
It adds: “His day-to-day responsibilities also include contemplating a solution to the mouse occupancy of the house.”