I’ve met Larry the Downing Street cat - and he ignored me just like Liz Truss, but who cares

There are few finer joys than meeting a cat you do not know that likes you. Heading to work, a big shop or even just a weekend walk, all of these are enriched by coming across a feline friend that wants to say hello.

That first excited sighting, the reach of the hand, that anxious stare as it assesses whether to come over. Then there’s the elation as they prance across to strut and graze against you, and you inevitably slump to pet them in the most ungainly fashion imaginable.

Larry the Downing Street cat | Mark Large - WPA Pool / Getty Images

I’m not sure why I love it so much. Cats are cute, obviously, but I’m not sure what chemicals in my brain cause me to decide stopping to introduce myself to a random animal is far more important than being on time. But it is. It’s an instant mood boost, and one that only gets better if you meet a cat that doesn’t simply want to be petted, but to follow you along the street for a while, each house adding an element of risk but then sweet reward, as it wants to play for just a little bit longer.

Which brings me to Larry, the Downing Street cat, a Westminster icon who has survived the tenures of David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss - if that can be called a tenure - and Rishi Sunak. 

Alexander Brown and a cat that is not Larry, and therefore nice to him | Alexander Brown

Larry has lasted longer than all of them to become a seemingly universally loved star in his own right, perhaps helped by the fact he’s never delivered austerity, instigated a hostile environment, conspired to have a journalist beaten up, crashed the economy, or advocated for an expensive and offensive Rwanda scheme. That we know of.

As such, when I first started in Westminster, way back in 2019, meeting Larry was one of the most exciting things about the job. Forget working in the mother of parliaments, park bearing witness to history, I was buzzing to meet a cat famous on the internet.

The same can be said for the Scottish lobby, who descended on Parliament this week, with one hack telling me they were so excited to meet Larry, and couldn’t wait to tell their family.

The problem is, as Scottish Secretary Ian Murray found out, Larry does not care. Whenever I’ve approached him, he’s not run away, but he’s certainly shown no interest in being petted, let alone indulging in a selfie, as so many visitors feel they’re owed.

He simply doesn’t care. He’s above it. And we’re bothering him at his home. The Scotland Secretary called him a “little sh*t”, and “the most miserable animal you’ll ever meet in your life”. And while that’s not exactly fair, I think it’s entirely understandable.

Larry sees so many people every day, it’s probably somewhat overwhelming. He’s the flatmate of someone who is always having parties, and he’s only come out to use the bathroom, but now has to greet everyone. There is, of course, another view, offered to me by lobby colleague Harry Horton, one of ITV’s brightest upcoming young journalists.

He told me, “I love Larry dearly, but the attention and power he’s developed has gone to his head and he's become a bit of a tart.”

Larry isn't the first Downing Street resident to snub Scotland or indeed even myself, but he's the first that's cute enough to get away with it.