Political Cat
Sybil
2007–2009
The short-lived Downing Street mouser who briefly held the post before Larry made it famous
- Owner
- Alistair Darling / 11 Downing Street
- Years
- 2007–2009
- Known for
- Political Cat
Sybil was a black-and-white cat who, in 2007, became one of the more unusual residents of Downing Street. She belonged to Alistair Darling, then Chancellor of the Exchequer, and moved with the family into Number 11 — the Chancellor's official residence, next door to the Prime Minister at Number 10. The press quickly seized on her arrival, casting her as the new Downing Street cat and, half in jest, as the latest in a long line of government mousers.
Named after Sybil Fawlty from the sitcom Fawlty Towers, she was reported to have been handed the semi-official job of tackling the well-documented mouse problem in the Downing Street complex. In practice her tenure was brief and not especially glorious: she reportedly struggled to settle into the bustle of Whitehall, and after only a few months she was quietly sent to live with a friend of the Darlings in a calmer home.
Though her career was short, Sybil holds a place in the story of Downing Street's cats as the mouser who came just before Larry — the tabby who took up the formal title of Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office in 2011 and made the role famous. Sybil is a reminder that not every political cat takes to public life; some simply prefer a quieter house.