"Give him a kick from me," she said. After 10 catless years at the PM's residence, Humphrey had a successor when in early September 2007 a new resident of 10 Downing Street made her public debut. Freya and Larry were reported to have rapidly established cordial relations, although the two cats had been seen fighting. A change of prime minister in July 2016 could have seen a change in his status, but it was reported that he would be staying on and carrying on with his rodent patrols under Mrs May's jurisdiction. Read Simon's story. In December 2015, former Home Secretary, David Blunkett suggested that Larry should be asked to increase his responsibilities to include the Palace of Westminster, which at the time was being overrun by rodents. Downing Street est une rue de Londres au Royaume-Uni où se situent depuis plus de deux cents ans les résidences du Premier ministre britannique et de son chancelier de l'Échiquier. The two cats have a sort of armed neutrality towards each other, although a photo was published of them having a bit of a sparring match on one occasion. He was famous for two things: his fights with Larry, the Downing Street cat, and being more popular than his boss. A cat called the Munich Mouser is mentioned as being 'in office' under Neville Chamberlain and was resident in Downing Street when Winston Churchill moved in as prime minister in May 1940; we think this cat died during 1943. 10. Unfortunately Sybil's tenure was short-lived. but please allow all images to load before doing so, or some may not display for more stories of famous cats, Other sections: He turned to his desk and made a note: 'Treasury vote: approve increase in cat's pay.' Because it's such a huge building, CHAT was initially concerned that they wouldn't be able to find their way around but they needn't have worried. Humphrey (c. 1988 – March 2006) was a cat employed as the Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office at 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, from October 1989 to 13 November 1997. A cat called the Munich Mouser is mentioned as being 'in office' under Neville Chamberlain and was resident in Downing Street when Winston Churchill moved in as prime minister in May 1940; we think this cat died during 1943. Grace Sydney Last updated on February 3, 2020. We wish Larry well, and a long and happy life as the latest in a distinguished line of feline residents in the corridors of power. 10 spokesman said Larry was 'chilled'. 10 garden, which caused a bit of a fuss; however, Major staunchly defended him, saying, 'It is quite certain that Humphrey is not a serial killer. Humphrey Par métonymie, le 10 Downing Street sert parfois à désigner le Premier ministre ou son administration. In 2014, Osborne brought in a pet dog, Lola. [40], A picture gallery to celebrate Larry's first two years in office was produced by The Daily Telegraph. [13] The Labour Party has confirmed that in the event of a Labour government, Larry would remain as Chief Mouser. [15] In February 2013, a cat-proof barrier was erected to prevent Larry and his neighbour Freya from getting into the Foreign Office, after complaints from staff members with allergies. Battersea had issued a press release saying the former stray was 'a great match, because he is a very sociable cat who enjoys attention and loves human contact.' She died, we think in London, in July 2009 after a short illness, the nature of which we don't know. [23][24], In June 2012, Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne was reunited with his long lost cat Freya, who moved into 11 Downing Street. In November it was reported in the Observer that Sybil had received a large volume of mail from fans and also other cats, many enclosing photos and signing with their paw-prints. Soon after he was taken in at Downing Street, a story ran in the press claiming that Larry was a lost cat and that the original owner had started a campaign to retrieve him. Copyright © Patrick Roberts & Purr 'n' Fur UK 2003-17 As for being a sleeper, he is definitely a sleeper, I am told very often in my office.'. Anyway, by November the Osbornes had decided that her wanderings put her at too much risk and it would be better if she left Downing Street. Larry As a matter of fact, the place has gained so much popularity with a picture of its door embedded in the memory of everyone. and so on. Humphrey clearly had a much loved and comfortable old age. Thomas Wintle Share . 10 in the country, where he apparently devoted his time to dominating a large dog! Images and content (whether original or used at Purr 'n' Fur with permission) may NOT be reproduced Situation et accès. Sybil He'd had a kidney complaint for some time, and his medical advisers felt it would be better for him to retire from his hectic environment and take life more easily in the suburbs. There had been earlier noisy stand-offs between the pair, but then things became physical and the fur started flying. Within a month of his arrival at Downing Street, anonymous sources described Larry as having "a distinct lack of killer instinct."[36]. Featuring Felines In June 2012, Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne was reunited with his long lost cat Freya, who moved into 11 Downing Street. 1 Situation 2 Histoire 3 Références Larry is a rescued stray cat from the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home who was chosen by Downing Street staff. Le 11 Downing Street (également connu en anglais sous le nom de Number 11) est l'adresse de la résidence officielle du second lord du Trésor du Royaume-Uni, titre qui à l'époque moderne coïncide avec celui de chancelier de l'Échiquier. So the rumours are true.'. Europe 01:42, 11-Aug-2020 Meet Larry, the Downing Street cat. She thought he was a stray and took him home to her apartment in a seventh-floor tower block in Lambeth. ]. [26] In November 2014, Freya left Downing Street, leaving Larry with the sole mousing responsibility.[27]. Former Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg has described an internal Downing Street security door which requires microphone contact for access as being increasingly "not for security, but to keep the cats out from one end of the building to another". You may also like to read about Humphrey's American feline counterpart at the White House, Le numéro 10 est la résidence officielle du Premier ministre. Only when a visit to the vet revealed a microchip was it realised who she belonged to, and she was duly installed in Downing Street. Downing Street staff are said to be very fond of him. Our featured feline at the head of the page is Simon of HMS Amethyst. document.write("?subject=Downing Street Cats\">"); Feline Philately He was said to have dumped it unceremoniously at the feet of the secretaries, and after their initial shock they gave him a cheer, as it was the first mouse he was known to have caught. In May 2014 she was found roaming the streets of south London by a charity worker; when her identity was discovered she was chauffeur-driven back to base. In January 2011 many were speculating whether another official mouser should be engaged by No. All rights reserved The crunch came when Mr Cameron reportedly found Larry asleep on his chair in his study, while a mouse ran across the room. After a few weeks in their new home they were reported to have settled down well and were, indeed, being thoroughly spoiled! [3] In 2012, Battersea Dogs and Cats Home revealed that Larry's popularity had resulted in a surge of 15% more people adopting cats. Feline Fun With the attendant press and TV attention it must have been a rather nerve-wracking and bewildering experience for him many cats would have fled the scene altogether, but on the whole he held his composure and didn't appear too unsettled. His age was estimated at between three and five years old, and he had been rescued in early January from the London streets where it was thought he'd been living rough for some little time. He did, though, celebrate the wedding of Prince William to Catherine Middleton on 28 April, when he was seen sporting around his neck a natty bow in the British colours. Thatcher's chief press secretary, Bernard Ingham, said the cat caused him, as an asthmatic, some trouble when he came to work on Monday mornings as Wilberforce 'lounged on my desk over the weekend in between mouse-catching duties'. ]. Within even less time at least three Twitter accounts had also been set up claiming to be Larry. Battersea said, 'Our cats live in a cattery but there are usually tell-tale signs of the hunter instinct from a previous life in some cats and even in the cattery Larry showed those signs.' Downing Street was visited and filmed in June 2012, and by chance No 10's cat-in-residence was snoozing outside the door at the time (above right). "Fur flies in the House of Lords as peer asks: 'Who pays for Larry the Cat? 10, after the latter had 'trespassed' into the grounds of the FCO. Humphrey was exonerated. We were sad when Humphrey was 'retired' with the arrival of the Blairs. The tale went that her nephew 'Tim' had begun a Facebook page to campaign for Larry's return and several hundred people had already joined, some saying they had written to Downing Street in support. In August 2014 it was reported that Freya had been 'clipped' by a car while out in Whitehall a mile or so from her home. So Freya has retired to a home in the Kent countryside with a kind member of staff, and her former family will receive regular updates. Cherie Blair was said to dislike cats and to consider them unhygienic: even to be allergic to them. 'It's in the nature of things that cats are difficult to confine,' said the official. Larry also managed to get himself into Google Street View! Humphrey's eight years in the corridors of power saw him mingling with the great and the good (and others), which he did with aplomb and the natural dignity of his kind; he was described as a laid-back and relaxed cat, which was probably just as well. He was said to spend too much time either sleeping or visiting his 'girl friend', a cat called Maisie, in St James's Park! It's not clear when the Battersea plaque was unveiled, but it was in place by October 2012. It seems she did not settle well in Downing Street, and so after about 6 months was taken to live with friends of Mr Darling's who lived in a quieter neighbourhood. [5], The Downing Street website describes Larry's duties as "greeting guests to the house, inspecting security defences, and testing antique furniture for napping quality". He seemed quite unfazed by photocalls, and paid scant attention to politicians, heads of state or even royalty it's reported that King Hussein of Jordan was once kept waiting while a police officer removed Humphrey from the welcoming red carpet. Our photo outside 10 Downing Street, taken from undated newsreel footage but probably around the time of the outbreak of war, may show the Mouser, but we're unable to confirm that; another possibility is that it's Nelson, one of Churchill's own cats, who was black and did spend some time at No. Staff at No.