What happened to Larry the Downing Street cat? Why did he take on fox outside Number 10 and is he on Twitter

The Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office takes his job very seriously
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Larry the Cat takes his job at Number 10 Downing Street has still got what it takes to spook intruders. The 15-year-old feline has been making headlines after standing his ground against a fox who happened to venture onto his turf.

The feisty feline, who serves as Chief Mouser to Downing Street, has been captured on camera chasing a fox away from the Prime Minister’s (PM) residence.

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The fox, which was twice Larry’s size, was sent packing not once, but twice, as Larry stood his ground and showed him the door.

Here’s everything you need to know about what happened with the fox and Larry the Downing Street Cat.

Larry the Downing Street cat relaxing outside Number 10 (Pic: AFP via Getty Images)Larry the Downing Street cat relaxing outside Number 10 (Pic: AFP via Getty Images)
Larry the Downing Street cat relaxing outside Number 10 (Pic: AFP via Getty Images)

Who is Larry the Downing Street Cat?

Larry the Downing Street Cat has been a permanent resident at Number 10 after former prime minister David Cameron adopted him from Battersea Dogs and Cats home in 2011.

The 15-year-old feline moved into the prestigious address on 15 February 2011 at just four-years-old. He has watched over four prime ministers including: David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson and now the current Prime Minister Liz Truss.

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He is the first cat at Downing Street to be bestowed with the official title of Chief Mouser and while he is no spring chicken, at the equivalent of 76-years-old in human age, Larry has shown that he still has it in him to take on any intruders that venture onto his patch.

What happened to the fox?

Shortly before 10pm last night (10 October) a fox approached the front door of 10 Downing Street. Caught on camera, Larry the Downing Street Cat is seen to square up to the fox, chasing him away, not once but twice.

Despite being half its size, Larry went into stalking mode when the fox entered Downing Street territory. The footage shows the two facing off after the sly fox attempts to hide around the bushes.

Larry chased the fox down the road, only for it to return tentatively hiding behind a lamppost. All it took was one stare from the firm feline to send the fox packing.

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No stranger to protecting the door of Number of 10, Larry who goes by the title of Chief Mouser is used to prowling for mice, but has shown that he has what it takes to tackle intruders that are twice his size.

You can watch the encounter in full below:

Does Larry the Downing Street Cat have Twitter?

Larry the Downing Street Cat has an unofficial Twitter account that has clocked up nearly 700,000 followers. The account often shares posts that are critical of current PM Liz Truss’ government.

It is still not yet known who runs the Twitter account, but despite this, it has become incredibly popular, with thousands of likes and shares everyday. The account shared footage of Larry’s incident with the fox along with the caption “fox off”.

Did he run for PM?

During the Conservative Party Leadership race in the summer, billboards calling for Larry to be the next PM appeared throughout London.

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They displayed Larry in an election poster alongside Truss and Sunak, as well as solo posters of Larry wearing a Union Jack dickie bow. In one billboard poster shared on Larry’s social media account, the Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office was captioned alongside the words “Larry for Leader”.

The stunt was facilitated by the campaign group Don’t Panic, who also set up a website Larry4Leader, which outlined Larry’s “Meow-festo”, which included “Treats (when you dangle a feather)” and “No lying in No. 10 unless it’s on a comfy cushion.”

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