Post by trubble on Feb 28, 2011 15:57:02 GMT
It's a book in the making, isn't it.
Larry the cat has a look around his new home yesterday. 'He seems quite easy-going and relaxed,' said a spokesman Photo: AFP/GETTY
By Rosa Prince 7:00AM GMT 16 Feb 2011
David Cameron gave a warm welcome to the four-year-old moggy, who promptly fell asleep on a sofa rather than begin tackling the rat infestation that has plagued No10 in recent weeks.
Larry came highly recommended as a ratter by staff at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, where he lived after being found as a stray, because of his alert temperament and fondness for playing with toy mice.
The Prime Minister issued an official greeting after the new arrival was delivered in a van.
“I’m delighted to welcome Larry to his new home,” said David Cameron. “I’m sure he will be a great addition to Downing Street and will charm our many visitors.”
Larry was recruited to tackle the rat problem after much lobbying from Mr Cameron’s children, much to the annoyance of some No10 officials. When rodents were first spotted by television cameras a few weeks ago, Downing Street rejected calls for a cat to be brought in.
Mr Cameron’s spokesman later admitted defeat, saying: “There was a group of people in Downing Street who thought it was a jolly good idea. They have won.”
It is understood that Nancy Cameron, six, and her four-year-old brother Elwen were instrumental in persuading the Prime Minister to perform an about-turn.
It is has been left to the cat to decide whether to sleep in the Cameron family quarters above No11 or to prowl the corridors of No10.
The spokesman said that Mr Cameron had been introduced to Larry yesterday and spent time petting him in the Downing Street study. “Larry seems quite easy-going and relaxed. He has spent most of his time in one room since his arrival, acclimatising.
“The Prime Minister has been with the cat, he’s held the cat, they seem to get on, but it’s early days in the relationship.”
A spokesman for Ed Miliband, the Labour leader, said: “We’re going to buy a terrier. We’ll show those rats who’s boss.”
~ The Daily Telegraph.