Larry is 17 years old. The good news is that he has outlived most tabbys, and the bad news is just that – he is at the end of his life and could leave at any time. The Independent said the United Kingdom government was preparing a "media plan" to announce Larry's sudden death. From Cameron in 2011 to Starmer today, Larry has witnessed generations of Downing Street changing owners, as well as political and economic changes in United Kingdom, and has also experienced his own transformation from a handsome teenage cat to an old and dizzy, staggering walk. But he was always successful and remembered by future generations. Years later, someone would put a bouquet of flowers in front of his grave, and the tombstone would read - "Chief Rat Catcher of Downing Street".
From stray cats to chief rat trapping officer
On September 6, 2022, shortly after former ·United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson left Downing Street in a car, a familiar brown-and-white tabby cat slipped out of the dark gate at No. 10 and quietly parked on the doorstep. He is Larry, who is asserting his sovereignty over Downing Street to the world, awaiting the arrival of a new prime minister, Liz Truss· Liz Truss.
As with most successful characters in fiction, Larry was originally a stray cat from a "poor" background. In February 2011, 5-year-old Larry was adopted by then-United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron from the "Home of Stray Cats and Dogs" in Battersea, London, and became a pet for Cameron's children. Larry's appearance was cleverly timed — "rats are once again scurrying down the steps of 10 Downing Street," United Kingdom writes ITN. There was no rat catcher in office at the time, and a spokesman for the prime minister said there were "no plans" to find a cat to solve the rat infestation in Downing Street. Therefore, Larry's appearance not only solved the rat problem, his "almost arrogant eyes" won the hearts of the United Kingdom people, saved some negative image of Downing Street, and even higher than the approval rating of some prime ministers. An Ipsos poll in August showed that 44 percent supported Larry and only 4 percent held a negative view, even higher than the new prime minister, Keir Starmer, · 34 percent and 41 percent opposed. For example, at the end of former Prime Minister Sunak's term, only 22% of voters had a positive view of him, and 58% of voters had a negative view.
As "Chief Mouser," Larry should be proud of his approval ratings and long tenure. After all, before him, the longest-serving rat catcher in Downing Street was "Peter III". It has served five prime ministers: Clement Attlee· Churchill, Anthony Eden· Harold Macmillan, and Alex Douglas-Home·· Larry has served five prime ministers, with Starmer being the sixth.
According to the United Kingdom government's website, his official duties are to "receive visitors, inspect security defences, and test the quality of antique furniture," and his daily work also includes tackling the rat problem in Downing Street. However, as the number of hours on the job increased, Larry's interest in catching rats seemed to decline day by day, and Downing Street even had to hire a professional rat trap team to make up for Larry's "unprofessionalism". The United Kingdom tabloid The Mirror criticized Larry in 2018 as a "lazy cat who didn't do his job well." Larry's accolades don't stop there: in 2019, when then-United States President Donald Trump visited United Kingdom, he took a nap in the president's $1.5 million car, delaying the proceedings. In December 2020, while the people of United Kingdom anxiously awaited the latest news on the United Kingdom's Brexit trade deal, Larry tried to catch a pigeon outside Downing Street. Although the ambition was not realized, the move stole the limelight from the government.
Perhaps for Larry, "stealing the limelight" has become one of his most important goals since he moved to 10 Downing Street. He has an X (formerly Twitter) account, currently has 901,000 followers and regularly comments on United Kingdom politics and the prime minister. When the new Prime Minister Starmer appeared at 10 Downing Street on July 6 this year, Larry posted a "wink selfie" on X the day before, with the caption: "When Starmer announced his inaugural cabinet roster, Larry the cat stayed where he was forever." Larry didn't like any prime minister, but when Sunak left 10 Downing Street, he seemed a little reluctant: "I have a lot of criticism about Sunak and the Conservative Party, but we should all reflect – they never showed any hesitation in accepting the will of the people, nor did they question their legitimacy. Citizens of other countries are envious of this. Larry also had heartwarming moments. On February 16, 2023, on the occasion of his 12th anniversary as "Chief Rat Catcher", he wrote: "It has been a pleasure to serve you for the past 12 years. For those who don't own cats but are asked 'do you have a cat in the house', you can answer 'yes' – because I will always be your cat. After the death of Queen Elizabeth II of United Kingdom, Larry posted a photo crouching in front of the queen's portrait and wrote sadly: "Nothing happened for decades, and decades happened for weeks." ”
From a former stray animal to now the "chief rat catcher," says · Quinlan of Battersea's "Home of Stray Cats and Dogs": "No one could have imagined how incredible his life would become. His rags-to-riches story is further proof that all animals deserve a second chance – one minute they may be overlooked stragglers on the streets, the next they can become one of the country's beloved politicians, with fans all over the world. ”
Cats are more popular than prime ministers
Among the prime ministers that Larry has served, Truss's relationship with him can be described as "the most tense". Truss took office on September 6, 2022, unveiling the largest tax cuts since the early 70s of the 20th century, which drew a chorus of opposition and triggered a record low in the pound against the dollar. On October 25, 2022, Truss resigned, becoming the shortest-serving United Kingdom prime minister ever (just 49 days). In just 49 days, Larry's indifference to Truss has been carried forward to the extreme. Denmark Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen visited ·United Kingdom on October 1, 2022, when Mette Frederiksen introduced her to the "United Kingdom first cat" – she had a smile on her face, but Larry looked sullenly at the other side. As Truss bent down to stroke him, Larry broke free of her hand and swaggered down the street. The next day, Larry slammed Truss's economic policies on X: "Liz · Truss is attending a Conservative Party convention in Birmingham. I think it's better to change the locks. ”
While Truss was opposed by the public, advertisements in support of Larry as prime minister even appeared on the streets of United Kingdom. United Kingdom ·critic Jane Merrick said: "The open and secret rivalry between Larry and Truss reflects to some extent the chaotic state of United Kingdom politics. In an era where cats seem to be more popular than prime ministers, we should perhaps rethink United Kingdom's political system. When the United Kingdom administration announced that it had put in place a media plan to deal with Larry's death, critic Ni·all Gooch wrote in the United Kingdom weekly magazine The Spectator: "It's incredibly surprising if there really is an official contingency plan for the death of a cat — even if it's a venerable cat with a fascinating cat to tell." But it would also be further evidence of the strange and unwelcome changes in public life in United Kingdom. When everyone avoids difficult questions about the state of the country and gets too much into trivial and inconsequential matters, it will only become more and more difficult for people to discern what should be discussed in the future. ”
News and picture sources: The Observer, The Times, The New York Times, The Guardian, Politicians, some pictures from the Internet
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