A while ago we shared the story of F.D.C.
Willard, an ordinary housecat who ended up co-authoring a widely cited science paper
on low temperature physics.
Today we’re talking about an equally impressive Tabby called Larry who is, believe it or not,
an official employee of the UK government- originally appointed by then British Prime
Minister, David Cameron, and continuing on with his post through the present prime minister
Boris Johnson.
This is despite Johnson’s dog, a Jack Russel puppy named Dilyn, and Larry’s less than
enthusiastic response to this new flatmate, with the 12 year old cat tweeting, “Confirmation
that Downing Street is going to the dogs…”
It’s also noteworthy here that Larry had previously tweeted his aspirations to take
the position of Prime Minister himself, caterwauling, “I am announcing that I’m standing to
become the next Prime Minister.
If Boris Johnson is running, then people deserve a serious candidate to…
#LarryforPM #YesWeCat” Losing out on the position of PM, Larry has
nonetheless managed to hold on to his post despite the power change.
On that note, officially Larry’s full title is “Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office of
the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland” and his duties mainly involve keeping
the famed residence of the Prime Minister - 10 Downing Street - free of pests such as
mice and rats.
Larry is one of only a handful of cats in British history to officially assume the role
of Chief Mouser, though there have been many other cats that have served essentially the
same role over the years who did so without the need for a fancy title or taxpayer money.
The role of mouser supposedly dates back to the reign of King Henry the 8th in the 16th
century, more specifically his appointing of Thomas Wolsey as Lord Chancellor in 1515.
Wolsey was a noted cat lover and is said to have had one at his side pretty much all of
the time to such an extent that a recently erected statue of him features a small cat.
As such, it's believed one of Wolsey’s many cats likely served as the first mouser for
the government, official or otherwise.
But as for the titled position, the records only go back as far as 1929 when it was noted
that the Treasury authorised a set sum of money for "the maintenance of an efficient
cat".
And if you're wondering, it's typical for such a cat to serve at Number 10 under multiple
prime ministers.
For instance, one Peter III served as Chief Mouser from 1946-1964 under Prime Ministers
Clement Attlee, Winston Churchill, Anthony Eden, Harold Macmillan, and Alec Douglas-Home.
Moving back to Larry, when David Cameron assumed office in 2010, 10 Downing Street didn’t
actually have a Chief Mouser as the previous Mouser, Sybil, had been retired in 2009 supposedly
because then Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, didn’t like her.
Initially, David Cameron resisted the idea of hiring a replacement Chief Mouser, until
rats were noticed scurrying around outside of 10 Downing Street in several live news
reports in early 2011.
Though Cameron denied that any plans were in place to appoint a Chief Mouser, internal
sources revealed that there was a strong and ever present “pro cat faction” in 10 Downing
Street.
Apparently this mysterious faction were able to sway the Prime Minister because, despite
his reservations, he and his family went to Battersea Dogs and Cats Home in February of
that year and adopted Larry Cameron, with his tenure as Chief Mouser officially starting
on February 15, 2011- nepotism, it seems, knows no bounds.
Needing to come up with a reason one of the Cameron surname would get such a prestigious
position over so many other thousands of felines that had worked for years chasing rats and
mice at various government offices (this is actually a thing) without so much as a "good
job" from Mr. Cameron, according to official statements from the then Prime Minister’s
team, Larry Cameron was hired because of his time as a former stray which they claim gave
him “a high chase-drive and hunting instinct”.
They added that Larry had “a very strong predatory drive”.
Despite high praise of his ninja-like killer instinct, Larry failed to make a kill until
two months into his tenure, when he killed a small mouse and dropped it at the feet of
one of Cameron’s secretaries.
His work ethic and skill came under further scrutiny when anonymous sources revealed that
Larry had been caught sleeping on the job on multiple occasions and even once took a
swing at a journalist.
A year into his tenure a Downing Street, a press officer urged people to remember that
Larry’s job doesn’t just involve hunting mice and rats, adding that his responsibilities
also include “greeting guests to the house, inspecting security defences and testing antique
furniture for napping quality”.
On that note, though he’s not a particularly effective Chief Mouser, it has been noted
that Larry is exceptionally talented at greeting and entertaining guests, particularly children
who seem to prefer his company to that of the Prime Ministers that have passed through
that office while Larry has reigned silently in the background.
That said, Larry has been noted to be slightly averse to men, particularly when he hasn't
met them, with the curious exception of former United States President Barack Obama, who
Larry warmed up to immediately upon their first encounter.
In contrast, Larry didn’t even bother to get off his windowsill perch when President
Trump visited, just gazing on from a distance and then tweeting out about his refusal to
be bothered shortly thereafter.
Larry also once barred Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from entering 10 Downing
Street, and ultimately had to be shooed away, literally, by a police officer so the minister
could enter.
Larry also attends various benefits and charity events on behalf of the government in an official
capacity.
In regards to his more specific role of “contemplating a solution to the mouse occupancy of the house”,
the UK’s government website features the only known official government quote from
Larry (though, as alluded to, he does maintain a twitter account for non-official correspondents),
stating that his solution to this problem is “in [the] tactical planning stage”.
There have been no updates on the status of this plan since- he's been in this position
for almost a decade now…
Despite his lacklustre work ethic and clearly being appointed to a position just because
he'd scratched the backs of those in power, Larry captured the hearts of the people of
Britain and has received many letters, treats and gifts from admirers over the years.
However, several years ago, Larry’s position as Chief Mouser was put in jeopardy when a
new, younger female cat called Freya was brought into 10 Downing Street.
Freya, who was presumed dead at just 6 months old when she went missing from her home in
Notting Hill in 2009, was found alive and well over two years later and returned to
her family- none other than the Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne and his family
(occupants of 11 Downing)- in 2012.
She immediately began giving Larry a run for his money.
Along with being more proficient at killing mice than Larry (no doubt due to being toughened
up via her life on the streets for two years), Freya was decidedly more politically inclined,
preferring to spend her time in the restricted areas of 10 Downing Street where secret military
missions and other classified matters are discussed.
Larry, on the other hand, at the time mostly just was noted to like to sleep on David Cameron’s
suits in his personal bedroom.
No doubt sleeping with the then boss helped Larry keep his cushy government job, despite
not actually getting any results to speak of.
For example, it was noted in one instance that Larry even outright refused to move when
David Cameron saw a mouse run across the floor of his study.
Cameron attempted to wake Larry to do his job, but Larry just lay there, uninterested
in chasing the rodent.
On another occasion, the Prime Minister hurled a piece of cutlery at a mouse during a dinner
with his ministers when Larry was similarly too busy napping to catch it; the mouse escaped
unharmed.
This led to rumors that the Prime Minister and Larry did not see eye to eye, and perhaps
that even Larry himself was on the take from the RPUKGBNI (Rodent Parliament of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland), who is known to also conduct much of their
business at 10 Downing Street.
As to the former accusation, a spokesman for the Prime Minister denied there was any rift
between Larry and David, releasing an official statement that the pair got along "purr-fectly
well".
(This government spokesman is going places.)
Nevertheless, Freya's results could not be ignored forever and, shortly after her introduction
to the household in 2012, reports were issued stating that the two cats would “share”
the job of Chief Mouser.
This did not sit well with Larry and the cats came to blows over the decision later that
year (or perhaps Freya discovered the bribes Larry purrrportedly was taking from the RPUKGBNI),
forcing the police to step in and separate them.
According to eyewitness accounts, Freya was the clear winner of the fight, no doubt again
thanks to her experience from living on the streets.
Larry once again became the sole Chief Mouser in 2014 when Freya was hit by a car.
(An accident, or a Larry/RPUKGBNI collaboration?)
Although she survived, at the cost of one of her nine lives, her owner decided to send
her to the countryside, claiming she wasn’t cut out for city life... despite that she'd
lived on the streets for over two years at one point, leading some to speculate that
the move was perhaps for her own protection.
While there’s no evidence suggesting foul play on Larry’s behalf, those in the know
have indicated it can’t be fully ruled out.
It should be noted here that Larry has had occasional run-ins with the law, such as in
2015 when a police sniffer dog, Bailey, and Larry got into a heated altercation over matters
that were curiously not made public.
Government cover-up?
Perhaps a drug problem?
(Larry has previously been found in possession of Nepeta cataria, or as it's known on the
streets, "the nip".)
Since then, Larry has caused yet more controversy by failing to protect 10 Downing Street from
an errant heron and not being around to capture a mouse that was later caught by the aforementioned
Chancellor of the Exchequer and former owner of Freya, George Osborne.
This led to rumors that Osborne might usurp Larry's position, as his pet had once done.
No doubt out of fear of having his own little automobile "accident", Osborne has never pursued
the position despite his obvious skill.
Curiously, despite the run-ins with the law, obvious government cover-ups, now three different
Prime Ministers passing through during his tenure, and a complete lack of results, Larry's
position- which comes with no salary, but still somehow finds him able to afford his
life in the lap of luxury- continues to remain, further evidence of his collaboration with
the RPUKGBNI.
Speaking of the Lap of Luxury, were you aware that at one point Howard Hughes bought an
entire TV station, just so he could call them up at any time and tell them what to play
so he could watch what he wanted, when he wanted?
Well, thanks to CuriosityStream, you’ll not have to buy a TV Station to achieve
the same, merely needing $... per month…
Bonus Fact: Speaking of a
cat running for Prime Minister, while Larry may have missed his opportunity for power,
a dog named Bosco Ramos, a black lab Rottweiler mix, was genuinely elected mayor of an unincorporated
census-designated place in California called Sunol in 1981, serving in the role for 13
years until his death.
How he got into the job in the first place was simply that his owner thought the whole
thing would be funny, so entered him in the race under the platform "Dogs are People Too"
and with campaign promises including, "A bone in every dish, a cat in every tree, and a
fire hydrant on every corner."
Bosco was not only elected, but even ran against two human beings, both of whom he beat in
a landslide.
The same can be said of Duke, a dog who became the honorary mayor of a small town in Minnesota,
winning by 9 votes in his election.
It should be noted here that the town only had 12 residents, meaning I guess he technical
won by a landslide.
Funny enough, the individual who ran against Duke, one Richard Sherbrook, even claims he
voted for the dog, rather than himself.
Again, Duke’s position was ceremonial but, the residents of the town were happy to have
him as mayor, with Sherbrook describing the idea of having a dog as mayor as “pretty
cool”.
However, just because nobody expects a canine mayor to do anything, it doesn’t mean their
terms in office aren't gleefully noted by the local populace as if the animal did function
as an actual, official mayor.
Going to back to Bosco for a moment, while he was in office, the doggy mayor would regularly
meet with the citizens of Sunol, taking daily strolls about the town to meet with his constituents.
While serving as mayor, Bosco became something of a celebrity, appearing on TV (earning $2,000
to his owner in one such appearance) and at one point caused an international incident
when Chinese newspapers widely reported on his election as an example of the shortcomings
of democracy and why it should be avoided.
Bosco (literally) took all this in stride and when the Tiananmen square incident happened
in 1989, was invited to join protests organised by students at Berkeley and Stanford in front
of the Chinese embassy as an honored guest.
His owner accepted the offer.
Bosco also led the Halloween parade every year and attended formal events wearing a
doggy tuxedo.
When he wasn’t being formal, Bosco was recognisable due to his habit of wearing a red bandana.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Bosco though and his tenure wasn’t without controversy,
one of the most infamous being his liaisons with numerous female dogs while on the clock,
resulting in numerous illegitimate pups being sired.
In addition, Bosco also went missing for a week in 1987, turning up a week later with
a stick in his mouth; he never revealed where he went, so it’s assumed he was enjoying
a raunchy rendezvous with a female dog.
Bosco also frequently got caught being bribed with ice cream and would act aggressively
when people withheld his favourite treat, beef jerky.
After his death in 1994, the people of Sunol paid tribute to Bosco by erecting a bronze
bust of “the world’s first canine mayor”.
Despite his well-known love of formal clothing, the artist responsible for Bosco’s statue
chose to depict him in his everyday attire.