Cats have lived at 10 Downing Street—the residence of the British Prime Minister—for hundreds of years. However, Larry the brown and white tabby rescue cat, is just the fourth to carry the official title 'Chief Mouser'.
That doesn't sound very Egyptian, so photographer, Jaap Jan Hemmes, has given us his equivalent title in ancient Egyptian: “Chief Mouser” becomes “Chief warrior [over] mice”, or, more simply, “Chief catcher of mice”
Despite the change in PM, Larry’s tenure as the “Chief Mouser” at Downing Street will continue under Theresa May. Larry was brought in by David Cameron to deal with a rodent problem in 2011, but actually belongs to a government civil servant and not the outgoing Prime Minister.
As leaders come and go, Larry the cat seems to be one of the most stable elements in the British Government right now.
Hieroglyphs: Jaap Jan Hemmes. Photo: Mark Large.