Larry the Cat has completed 15 years as the resident mouse catcher at 10 Downing Street, becoming one of the most recognisable and enduring figures in British public life.

The 19-year-old tabby, whose official title is chief mouser to the Cabinet Office, has served under six prime ministers and grown into a familiar sight outside the famous black door in central London.

Frequently seen lounging on the doorstep, chasing pigeons or attracting media attention, Larry has become as much a part of Downing Street’s identity as the building itself.

Larry was adopted in February 2011 from the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home by then prime minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha. Cameron had said at the time that he was delighted to welcome Larry and believed the cat would charm visitors to No 10, reports BBC.

As chief mouser, Larry’s role is to keep the rodent population under control, although his effectiveness has often been a subject of public debate.

The position has a long tradition, with cats serving in government buildings since at least the 1920s, and records of feline residents dating back to the time of King Henry VIII.

Larry was the first official chief mouser since Humphrey, a stray adopted in 1989 during the premiership of Margaret Thatcher, who retired in 1997.

Now the feline equivalent of over 90 human years, Larry reportedly made his first successful catch in April 2011 and has since provided moments of light relief during some of the UK’s most turbulent political periods.