Cats ruled out as Parliamentary pest controllers

A Labour peer’s call to bring in cats to control mice and other vermin in the Houses of Parliament has been rejected.

Larry the cat already serves as 10 Downing Street’s chief mouser but there are no plans to introduce pets to tackle the pest problem in the Palace of Westminster down the road.

Senior Deputy Speaker Lord Gardiner of Kimble told Lord Berkeley advice given to parliamentary authorities was that cats would face risks from construction activity, self-closing doors and the lack of arrangements for caring for them.

Mice have long been an issue in the Grade I listed landmark, with thousands of pounds spent on pest control every year.

In a written question, Lord Berkeley asked what consideration has been given to using cats for vermin control across the Parliamentary Estate.

In response, Lord Gardiner said: “On advice given previously to the House of Commons, the decision was made not to bring a cat on the estate on the following grounds.

“The estate had too much construction activity on site to provide a safe living environment for a free-roaming cat.

“The risk of self-closing doors leaving a cat trapped without sustenance for significant periods of time.

“The absence of assured daily arrangements for cat care.”

He added: “We continue to work with our pest control contractor to implement targeted and effective regimes across the Palace.”

Larry, a rescue cat from Battersea Cats and Dogs Home, has served successive prime ministers since he moved into 10 Downing Street back in 2011.

After Sir Keir Starmer took office Larry was joined by the family cat Jojo and a new Siberian kitten.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Office enlisted a chief mouser called Palmerston in 2016.

He retired to the countryside in 2020 but was recently brought back to take up an overseas diplomatic posting in Bermuda as “feline relations consultant”.