Boris Johnson, the UK’s new Prime Minister, must accept Larry the Cat at Number 10

Larry the Cat
Larry the Cat

Larry the Cat has been at Number 10 Downing Street since November 2011. For those who aren’t sure, Number 10 Downing Street is the Prime Minister’s office and there is a flat above for the PM and his partner. Note: historically the PM lives in the four-bedroom flat above No. 11 while the Chancellor, whose office is at No. 11, lives in the 2-bed flat above No. 10.

Larry is an indoor/outdoor cat which is a questionable arrangement seeing as this building is bang in the middle of London with a ton of traffic all around it, although it is in a cul-de-sac which helps to protect him from potentially fatal accidents.

The fact that he has been at Number 10 Downing Street for about eight years means that he treats the place which includes the building and the immediate surrounding area as his home range. This is his territory and it is his home. There is therefore no question that Boris Johnson, the new Prime Minister, has a choice as to whether he stays or goes. It doesn’t matter whether he likes cats or not and I suspect that he is not overly keen on domestic cats.

Larry and Palmerston
Larry and Palmerston yowling stand off. Palmerston is the Foreign Office resident cat.

It would be very foolish of him if he were to decide to remove Larry from Number 10 Downing Street. A lot of cat lovers would dislike him for that. Anyway there’s no reason to do it. It’s a massive building although it looks quite small from the outside (I have been inside it). There is plenty of room to share it with a cat who is looked after by civil servants.

It is an interesting thought, however, because it is not often that one moves into a new home – and Boris will live there as he has not place to live! – with the obligation to share it with a resident domestic cat.

Arguably, it is harder for domestic cats to move home than it is for humans. Cats are wedded to their territory which is why they sometimes return to it when they are relocated. This happened to my cat although I only moved about three quarters of a mile.

Larry meets Obama!
Larry meets Obama!

Larry the Cat is pretty famous, well liked, indeed loved and is part of the furniture at this famous residence/office. He should and he will stay there until his dying days and I’m sure that Boris Johnson realises that.

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