A GROUP of American tourists have left Brits in stitches with their determined search to see Downing Street’s most famous resident – Larry the Cat.
The three girls were on a nine-day trip to the British capital for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour at Wembley Stadium but had made it their mission to find Larry after learning of his official role as the Cabinet Office’s Chief Mouser.
The trio were unsuccessful in their efforts to spot the feline for almost all of their time in the city but were handed a lifeline by a police officer on Sunday who finally held Larry aloft for his adoring fans.
One of the girls, known only as Molly, shared a video with daily updates on their mission.
She starts by saying: “So we’re in London for the Eras Tour, and there’s a cat that lives at 10 Downing Street called Larry. He’s the Chief Mouser to the United Kingdom.
“We are here for nine days, so we’re going to go every day until we find him.”
The video then cuts to Molly and her two friends standing outside the black metal gates at the end of Downing Street.
She says: “Day number one. No Larry.”
Day two is similarly unsuccessful, but on the third day, they are told he is out on the street, just not visible from their vantage point.
The girls start to convince themselves Larry is not real, with Molly saying: “Day number five. Still no Larry the cat, but the police officers behind us swear he is not a conspiracy.”
By the sixth day, they are told he has been sighted outside again and likes to chase crows.
They come close after a week, with Larry reportedly being spotted at the gate a mere 20 minutes before they arrived.
Molly says: “Day number seven. We missed Larry by 20 minutes, and he came up to the gate. Loss of our life.”
On day eight, Molly is now wearing a customised Larry t-shirt she had made, complete with a badge given to her by one of the police officers, which reads: “I love Larry”.
She says: “Day number eight. Still no Larry the cat, but they did give me this sick pin.”
Her friend adds: “Which is definitely the next best thing.”
The next day, all three are beside themselves with excitement as they have finally succeeded in their mission.
Molly squeals: “Day number nine, and we finally saw Larry the Cat. He’s so cute.”
The video cuts to footage taken through the gates of a uniformed police officer picking Larry up and holding him out towards them.
The girls shriek with excitement, with one exclaiming: “He is real.”
The officer puts him down and Larry sits in the road, completely unfazed by the reception he is receiving.
Molly says: “Oh my god, oh my god, look at him just sitting there.”
The video was shared to social media on Sunday, where it has since received over 15,800 likes and more than 510 comments from social media users impressed by the girls’ dedication.
One said: “Aw, I’m so happy for you. We love Larry in the UK, he’s a national treasure.”
Another commented: “The content I didn’t know I needed. Adding to the London bucket list.”
A third joked: “I thought the officer was going to bring him over to you to pet him.”
Molly replied: “I wish. I’m convinced I’ll be invited to meet him.”
A fourth wrote: “At first I was like, eye roll, this is silly, but then I got so invested I was like for the love of god, let them see Larry.”
Another quipped: “Nine days Larry – could have stretched or meowed or caught them a bird or something.”
The unofficial Larry the Cat account on X shared Molly’s video on Wednesday with the caption: “People often contact me before visiting London in the hope that they can see me in person.
“Very happy that these fans from the States were successful.”
