Larry the Cat at #10. Editorial credit: Drop of Light / Shutterstock.com

When Keir Starmer became the 6th Prime Minister in the last 8 years, it was our beloved Larry that continued to remain the one constant despite the recent instability at the most famous address this side of 221B Baker Street, 10 Downing Street, since 2011. Given the addage will all know that ‘dogs have owners and cats have staff’, it’s clear who has been in charge for over a decade.

Serving as Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office of the United Kingdom at 10 Downing Street, the residence and home office of Britain’s prime minister, Larry the Cat was appointed in 2011 and finds himself now preparing to enter his 14th year in residence this coming February, serving his sixth PM in the last decade, three of them in the span of 45 days! Larry has outlasted prime ministers David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, the six-week tenure of Liz Truss and, most recently, Rishi Sunak before Keir Starmer took the keys to #10.

Said to be entering his 17th year, Larry has enjoyed an enormously loyal following among British citizens over the years. So much so that a now viral tweet from an unofficial account hours before Liz Truss announced her resignation, “The King has asked me to become Prime Minister because this nonsense has gone on long enough,” attracted thousands of comments to where a #Larry4Leader campaign was established before Rishi Sunak was annouced as the U.K.’s new Prime Minister. According to the campaign, Larry’s stands for including a “responsible hiss-cal policy” and “no lying in No 10 unless it’s on a comfy cushion”.

Because of Larry’s age, preparations – codenamed Larry Bridges – are quietly being put in place for when he passes away, reports The Times. According to the Metro, the name is a nod to the code used for preparing what would happen when Elizabeth II died. ‘Bridge’ comes from ‘London Bridge is falling down’. It also verifies what we all know about Larry’s epic stature in the U.K. government whereby funerals for anyone that is afforded a certain level of the combination of brilliance and longevity are planned well in advance.

While Larry is reportedly (and, currently) in very good health across the board, Larry’s plans apparently focus on how the news of his death will be announced. Given the overwhelming love that people around the world have for Larry, comments have ranged from people wondering if his health is failing (it’s not, BTW), to demanding not only a state funeral and a bank holiday with Larry deserving of full burial honors at Westminster Abbey.

For my money, I choose just to not think about it at this point and continue to be in awe of the greatness of Larry as long as I can and believe he will also be patroling the grounds in front of #10.