Larry, 10 Downing Street’s chief mouser, has some more competition — there are two new diplocats in town.
On Friday, the UK’s Cabinet Office announced the arrival of Evie and Ossie.
The breaking news came from the official Cabinet Office Twitter account. They join the Treasury Office’s Gladstone and the Foreign Office’s Palmerston.
Ossie pays homage to Sir Edward Osmotherly, who drafted important rules for civil servants. Evie, the first female feline to join the Diplocats, is named after Dame Evelyn Sharp, the first lady to become permanent secretary, a senior position in the British government.
They’re big names to live up to, but Larry — often seen lazing around the door of nearby No. 10 — doesn’t seem worried.
No dethroning Larry
The British public loves Larry. The nation breathed a sigh of relief when it was announced that Larry wouldn’t be evicted after former British Prime Minister David Cameron resigned.
“It’s a civil servant’s cat and does not belong to the Camerons — he will be staying,” said a government spokesman at the time.
“He is the first cat at Number 10 to be bestowed with the official title Chief Mouser,” reads the official UK government website, in an entire page dedicated to the cat.
Larry spends his days being photographed by journalists and tourists, and testing furniture for napping quality. In return, the British nation sends daily treats.
There has been no news from Larry’s largest unofficial Twitter account about the new arrivals. But close to 100,000 people are following for updates.
