Not So Meeting Burmese Cat Quartet, Larry Await 'New Master' As Rishi Sunak And Liz Truss Compete For Downing Street 10

Larry The Cat in front of the 10 Downing Street entrance. (Wikimedia Commons/Parrot of Doom)

JAKARTA - Boris Johnson's resignation as Chairman of the Conservative Party as well as British Prime Minister, helped make this cat make a statement on his social media account.

Not just any cat, Larry has long been part of the British 'political scene', with himself well-known as a resident of 10 Downing Street, the office and official residence of the British Prime Minister.

"1. I'm not 'Boris Johnson's cat' 2. Like all prime ministers, he's just a temporary resident of Downing Street 3. I live here permanently. When he finally leaves, I live 4. Yes, it's all very embarrassing but it will ending soon," tweeted the Twitter account @Number10cat which has 635,000 followers.

Titled Chief Mouser, Larry has experienced three prime ministerial eras. Prior to Boris Johnson, Larry was at 10 Downing Street when David Cameron and later Theresa May were UK PMs.

Larry, who on Twitter is said to be female and known to be 15 years old, arrived at Downing Street 10 in 2011 when he was four years old. He was adopted from a London animal shelter and selected for his rat hunting skills.

Larry The Cat. (Wikimedia Commons/Her Majesty's Government)

Interestingly, Larry 'didn't meet' another cat who had the possibility of being brought to 10 Downing Street. It is known, Junior Commerce Minister Penny Mourdaunt, who owns a collection of cats, had competed in the election of a candidate to replace Boris Johnson.

A favorite of 10 Downing Street residents, Mourdaunt only occupied the third or final position in the vote by members of the British Parliament on 20 July. Winning 105 votes, he lost to Rishi Sunak (137) and Liz Truss (113) who will fight to become the leader of the Conservative Party as well as the new UK PM.

Reporting Daily Sabah from AFP July 18, Penny Mordaunt revealed in an online forum that she owns a quartet of Burmese cats, which she cites when asked her biggest weakness.

"Introducing them to Number 10 might present some challenges for Larry," he said at a question-and-answer session hosted by the Conservative Party's website.

To note, whoever wins when the results of the UK PM election are announced on September 5 will inherit some of Britain's toughest conditions in decades. Inflation is set to hit 11 percent annually, growth has stalled, industrial action picks up and the pound is approaching historic lows against the dollar.

Time to clarify a few things:1. I'm not “Boris Johnson's cat”2. Like all Prime Ministers, he's only a temporary resident of Downing Street3. I live here permanently. When he finally goes, I stay4. Yes, it's all very embarrassing but it will be over soon

— Larry the Cat (@Number10cat) July 7, 2022