Larry the Downing Street cat gets Russian rival
Following Labour leader Keir Starmer’s sweeping general election victory in July, the new Prime Minister and his family have settled into Number 10 Downing Street, bringing along their family cat, JoJo.
However, JoJo won’t be the only feline resident for long, as a new “Siberian kitten” is set to join the household after a summer of negotiations with the Starmer children, who had initially hoped for a German Shepherd dog.
“There’s been a long summer of negotiations, back and forth, different options,” Starmer shared in an interview with BBC radio on Monday. “But now we’ve gone for… a kitten instead of a dog,” he added.
“There’s been a long summer of negotiations, back and forth, different options,” Starmer shared in an interview with BBC radio on Monday. “But now we’ve gone for… a kitten instead of a dog,” he added.
This new addition to the Starmer family, however, will have to share the spotlight with Larry, the famous 17-year-old tabby who has been the top cat at the British prime ministerial residence for the past 13 years.
Larry was adopted from a cat rescue charity in 2011 under then-Prime Minister David Cameron’s administration to help control the Downing Street mice. Despite his mixed performance in that role, Larry has become a beloved media personality, particularly among journalists, and even has his own social media account, @Number10cat.
As Keir Starmer becomes Larry’s sixth prime ministerial companion, he acknowledged that integrating pets in Downing Street presents its own challenges. One of these is the bomb-proof door in their new flat, which serves as the only exit for JoJo and, soon, the new kitten.
Given Larry’s legendary status as a political survivor through years of upheaval, officials have even prepared a detailed plan for the event of his passing. This plan, akin to the protocol for the late Queen Elizabeth II, is codenamed “Larry Bridges.”
Larry himself made it clear that he still holds the reins at Downing Street, posting on X (formerly Twitter) via his social media account: “The kitten will REPORT to Larry the Cat.”
The Starmers’ new kitten has already received a warm welcome from Sarah Elliott, the central veterinary officer for the charity Cats Protection. She offered some advice to the Prime Minister and his family, stressing the importance of a slow and careful introduction between the new kitten, JoJo, and Larry.
“Young kittens can be exhausting for older statesmen like Larry, so he’ll also need a safe, quiet area to retreat to when the energy of a younger member of the team gets a bit too much,” Elliott noted.
