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Larry is the 10 Downing Street cat and is Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office. Larry is a brown and white tabby, believed to have been born c. January 2007. ==First year in Downing Street== Larry is a rescue cat from the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home and was chosen by Downing Street staff.〔Glen Oglaza ("The Cat's Whiskers" ), Sky News, 15 February 2011.〕 Media speculation had raised the possibility of a new feline arriving in Downing Street after rats had been seen on two occasions behind television news correspondents reporting live, with a Downing Street "pro-cat faction" having apparently won the argument. The cat is also intended to be a pet for the children of David and Samantha Cameron.〔("Larry the No 10 cat drafted in as official rat catcher of Downing Street" ), ''Daily Mail'' (website), 15 February 2011.〕 After moving into Downing Street, Larry immediately courted controversy by taking a swipe at ITV News reporter Lucy Manning whilst being required to pose for a news item. He has been described by Downing Street sources as a "good ratter" and as having "a high chase-drive and hunting instinct". 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.〔 〕 However, the story was later revealed to be a hoax, and no such owner nor campaign existed. David Cameron has said that Larry is a "bit nervous" around men, speculating that, since Larry was a rescue cat, this may be due to negative experiences in his past. Cameron mentioned that U.S. President Barack Obama is an apparent exception to this fear: he said, "Funnily enough he liked Obama. Obama gave him a stroke and he was all right with Obama." Unlike his predecessors since 1929, Larry's upkeep is funded not by taxpayers but by the staff of 10 Downing Street. Fund-raising events to pay for his food are believed to have included a quiz night for Downing Street staff held in the state rooms. Larry's exploits and observations on life at Number 10 became the subject of a weekly cartoon in ''The Sunday Express'' drawn by cartoonist Ted Harrison. In late February 2011, it was reported that anonymous sources were briefing against Larry, saying "there is a distinct lack of killer instinct." However, a senior Downing Street spokesman said that it was too early to make judgements and that Larry hadn't even been taken to visit his main work area in case he ran away.〔 He finally made his first kill – a mouse – on 22 April 2011. On 9 September 2011, Larry was spotted swiping at a mouse, referred to as "Mandy", which then escaped under a bush. On 14 November 2011, Larry's position came under pressure, as it emerged that he was spending more time sleeping, and spending time in the company of a female cat, Maisie, than actually hunting for mice. The cat's position was said to be "unassailable", even though it emerged that the Prime Minister had resorted to throwing a piece of cutlery at a mouse during a Cabinet dinner, in an ineffectual attempt to kill it.〔 The Prime Minister's spokesman rejected calls for Larry's resignation, stating that "Larry brings a lot of pleasure to a lot of people". On 16 November 2011, Larry courted further controversy by sleeping for several hours as the entire cabinet traipsed in and out of Downing Street for a meeting.〔 However Larry's apparent laziness was subsequently favourably compared with rival Freya's enthusiasm for top secret places such as the command centre during a military exercise which led to possibly tongue-in-cheek allegations of "dastardly foreign espionage." On 27 November 2011, it was reported that Larry had been banned from the Prime Minister's quarters in 10 Downing Street as his fur was ruining the Prime Minister's fresh suits.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Larry (cat)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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