David Cameron leaves, Larry the Cat stays

Larry the cat will not be evicted from Downing Street when the keys to No. 10 are handed over to Theresa May, the Cabinet Office has confirmed.

David Cameron and George Osborne have not been the only Downing Street occupants pondering their removal from the heart of power.

Larry, who is the latest in a series of distinguished Whitehall cats, was brought to No. 10 from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home in 2011.

Although Larry is the first official cat to hold the title Chief Mouser, cats have occupied government buildings in London since the 1800s.

Humphrey was succeeded for a short period by Sybil, the pet of then Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling, in 2007 – but the renowned mouser failed to settle and returned to Scotland.

Larry, too, has been forced to defend his turf, recently seen facing off with the Foreign Office cat, Palmerston.

An unofficial Twitter account set up under Larry’s name posted today: “Does anyone know a good cat groomer available tomorrow?”

The outgoing Tory leader used his last Prime Minister’s Questions to quash a rumour he was not a fan of the chief mouser. “I need to make a good impression on someone…”

Cameron resigned as Prime minister following the United Kingdom’s vote to leave the European Union.

“He is a Downing Street legend”, Cabinet Office spokesman Benjamin Oliver told NBC News. He will stay on as Theresa May replaces Cameron.