Britain's Political Cats Trivia Quiz

Answer: Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office

The Cabinet Office consists mainly of civil servants who support the prime minister, liaise between government departments and run/coordinate/formulate various policies and functions that are outside the scope of specialised ministries. Although the Cabinet Office has its own building(s) in Whitehall, some of its more senior staff operate out of 10 Downing Street, and this includes the resident cat whose official duties are to catch marauding rodents.

In return the Chief Mouser receives an official stipend, also known as cat food.

As the cat works in the Cabinet Office's traditional home, he/she has the job title: Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office.

Answer: David Cameron

When Larry arrived in Downing Street he was supposed to be a pet for the Cameron children but he then became known as the Chief Mouser, a role which at first he was said to perform badly. There are no reliable references as to what the children thought but it was often reported that David Cameron didn't like Larry, something which the PR-conscious PM strenuously denied.

When the Camerons left Downing Street, they also left Larry; he stayed on to serve as Chief Mouser with at least five more prime ministers - and apparently he got much better at catching mice.

Answer: Must resist urge to scratch

The Bayeux Tapestry was made shortly after the Norman Conquest in 1066. Unlike more recent tapestries, it is embroidered rather than woven. It is now thought that it was actually made in England and then sent to France as a gift for the Conqueror and it has been there ever since. However, in 2025 it was announced that the tapestry would return to England for the first time in 900 years to be exhibited at the British Museum in the autumn of 2026. Sadly, the tapestry contains no images of cats, although it does feature approximately 200 horses, 30-50 dogs, and 500 other creatures including birds and mythical beings.

Larry's media account is "accredited" but is actually written by a journalist and not by anyone on the government's payroll. His observations usually consist of witty or scurrilous (depending on one's view of the target) observations about political leaders, British or otherwise. However, his main targets are the prime minister of the day or potential occupants of Downing Street. It was reported that President Macron thought Larry's comment about the tapestry was funny and he still agreed to send it to the UK.

Answer: Under the car

It was raining so Larry went under the car and stayed there. For quite a while. Getting him out was a task beyond the capabilities of the US Secret Service but he did eventually saunter out and the president could go on his way.

Answer: A fox

In 2022, Larry the Downing Street Cat was filmed stalking then chasing a fox through some of the gardens at the side of Number 10. At one point the fox tried to hide in a flowerbed but Larry persisted and drove the fox away from his territory never to be seen again.

The Red fox is the only species of wild canine native to the British Isles. Fossil records from central England show that red foxes were there over 330,000 years ago. More recently, during the 20th century, foxes established themselves in urban areas and they are now found in almost every mainland town; you are much more likely to see a fox on a city street than you are to see one in the countryside.

Answer: Liz Truss

Liz Truss was the last PM to hold the role under the late Queen, Elizabeth II. Appointed only two days before the Queen's death she was, therefore, in post when Charles III inherited the throne. She wasn't the only PM in history to serve two monarchs but because of the Queen's long reign she was the first since Churchill. Shortly after the King's Coronation, a sudden change in the government's fiscal policy led to an economic crisis and Liz Truss was forced to resign after only fifty days in office.

Margaret Thatcher was the UK's first female prime minister but she had left Downing Street years before Larry arrived. Shirley Williams was a prominent politician during the 1980s who seemed likely to become the first woman PM but never did. Theresa May took over from David Cameron, becoming PM just after the pro-Brexit vote although she had argued that the UK should stay in the EU. At least Larry got to stay where he was.

Answer: Battersea

The Battersea Dogs Home was founded in 1860 in the borough of Holloway, moving to Battersea in 1871; an early supporter of the home was Charles Dickens. Battersea has been looking after cats as well as dogs since 1883 but the name was only changed to include cats in 2002.

When Edward Heath was prime minister in the early 1970s, a new cat was appointed to Number 10 but this one, Wilberforce, came via the RSPCA. Wilberforce was still in post when Margaret Thatcher became prime minister in 1979 and stayed with her until 1986 when he retired.

Answer: Chamberlain and Churchill

Neville Chamberlain was the first PM to share Downing Street with this cat, originally known as Bob; although he is widely known for his appeasement policy, Chamberlain was also the PM who announced the UK's declaration of war on Hitler's Germany on 3 September 1939. When Churchill took over as PM in 1940, he renamed the cat as the 'Munich Mouser' because of his association with the previous PM.

Churchill also brought another cat, Nelson, to Downing Street. When Churchill was the government minister responsible for naval affairs, he saw a stray cat chase a large dog away from the Admiralty. Churchill named him Nelson after the famous British admiral and took him to Downing Street when he became prime minister. Nelson and Munich did not get on and conducted a war of their own until the Munich Mouser died in 1943.

Answer: Treasury bills are government debt securities

Treasury bills are issued as a short-term way for the government to raise money to cover some of its operating costs. They are similar to bonds, which are sold at a discount via an auction process but bought back at face value after a fixed, short period of time. In other words, it's guaranteed, but like all financial transactions, good luck with making money out of it.

In addition, the UK's prime minister has a secondary title. He or she is not only the prime minister but also the First Lord of the Treasury. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, who is responsible for running the nation's finances, is only the Second Lord of the Treasury - and lives at Number 11 Downing Street, unless they swap houses.

It is rumoured that Rufus of England was the first Downing Street cat to be called the Chief Mouser, but he does not appear to have been on the official government payroll. He was actually Ramsay MacDonald's own cat, so when Macdonald left office after less than a year, Rufus also left, but they both returned five years later, when the Labour Party was returned to power in the 1929 election.

Answer: 1868

It seems that in the late 1880s, the London Money Order Office, part of the Post Office, was overrun with mice and the mice were eating the money orders! A proposal was made that they should be allowed to add three cats with a budget of two shillings per week, based on the amount set aside by museums in London for their cats. The Secretary of the Post Office, John Tilley, agreed to the appointment of three cats but cut the budget in half, saying that the cats would have to make up the difference by catching mice. Furthermore, he said that if the cats did not reduce the mouse population after six months, the amount of money would be reduced again.

The cats appear to have done well and their rations were not cut. They were the first in a long tradition of official cats and while they didn't have such grand titles as the Whitehall cats, some of them were quite famous. Mr Tibs, for example, appeared in a book of "Cockney Cats" and apparently attended a party for "cats and film stars". He clearly ate well - he cleared the Post Office HQ of rats and when he died in 1964 he weighed 23lbs (10.5kg).

It should be noted that another cat, named Frilly, is often quoted as the first salaried cat, but as he wasn't appointed until 1909, it's possible that the role of the Post Office cats has been overlooked by some historians. Frilly worked in the War Office and when he died the staff paid to have him stuffed; he still gets wheeled out for special occasions.