Steve Back / Rex Features

British Prime Minister David Cameron's cat Larry and Chancellor George Osborne's cat Freya fight in Downing Street, London, on Tuesday.

LONDON - Downing Street, where the head of Britain's government resides right next door to the man who holds the nations' purse strings, has witnessed its fair share of spats over the years.

But the fur flew for real Tuesday when two cats from each official residence -- known colloquially as Number 10 and Number 11 -- traded paws in a brief bout of feline fury.

Larry, Prime Minister David Cameron's cat, was pictured taking a claw to the throat from Freya, Chancellor George Osborne's pet.

Witnesses said Larry quickly withdrew to the safety of his home, leaving Freya one-up in the cat-on-cat contest.

Read the story by NBC News' British partner ITV News

This is not the first time that Larry has let down the side since joining Downing Street from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, an animal shelter in southwest London, almost two years ago.  He was brought in on the reputed strength of his mousing skills to deal with at least one rat seen scurrying past the door of Number 10. (Click here to see Number 10's official version on Storify).

But his career got off to a rocky start, drawing blood from a TV reporter.

Click here for more stories about Larry the cat  

To compound this first PR faux pas, it took Larry months to nail his first rodent victim, the Guardian reported.

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French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron landed in Libya today, announcing their intent to unfreeze billions of dollars in frozen assets and continue NATO strikes against Moammar Gadhafi's few remaining strongholds.

Philippe Wojazer / Reuters

France's President Nicolas Sarkozy and Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron greet Libyans in Benghazi on Thursday.

Sarkozy and Cameron made stops in Tripoli and Benghazi, this marking the first visit by foreign leaders since the toppling of the former regime. 

Philippe Wojazer / AFP - Getty Images

France's President Nicolas Sarkozy, National Transitional Council head Mustafa Abdul Jalil and Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron join hands in Benghazi on Thursday, Sept. 15.

See more images from the conflict in Libya in our slideshow.

Reuters

France's President Nicolas Sarkozy and Britain's Prime minister David Cameron visit an injured man in the Tripoli Medical Center on Thursday.

Matt Dunham / AP

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron plays tennis with London mayor Boris Johnson in Trafalgar Square in London, on Thursday, Sept. 8.

It may appear that Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron has a hard time resisting tennis in any form while wearing a token white shirt and blue tie.

Today, Cameron picked up a racquet and faced off against London Mayor Boris Johnson in support of Paralympic International Day in Trafalgar Square.

The prime minister donned a similar look during President Obama's visit, and the subsequent duo playing table tennis.

AFP - Getty Images

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron plays tennis during the Paralympic International Day in Trafalgar Square in London on Sept. 8. London 2012 hosted International Paralympic Day in Trafalgar Square today. A full day of activity was planned to celebrate Paralympic sports and give the public a chance to see 20 sports highlighted at the games and meet the athletes.

London 2012 hosted International Paralympic Day in Trafalgar Square today. A full day of activity was planned to celebrate Paralympic sports and give the public a chance to see 20 sports highlighted at the games and meet the athletes.