Chief mouser Palmerston dies after swapping Foreign Office for Bermuda

Palmerston, a rescue cat who became the chief mouser of the Foreign Office, has died in Bermuda.The cat, adopted from Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, retired in 2020 after four years of service in Whitehall.In February 2025, a post on a popular social media account in Palmerston’s name said he had come out of retirement in order to start work “as feline relations consultant (semi-retired) to the new governor of Bermuda”.Announcing his death, a post on Palmerston’s X account read: “Palmerston, Diplocat extraordinaire, passed away peacefully on 12 February. “Palmy” was a special member of the government house team in Bermuda, and a much-loved family member, it added.On his retirement in 2020, a letter to Sir Simon McDonald, permanent under-secretary at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, read that the cat would like to spend more time “away from the limelight” after enjoying “working from home” during the coronavirus pandemic.“I have found life away from the frontline relaxed, quieter, and easier,” the letter signed in Palmerston’s name read. “My 105,000 Twitter followers show that even those with four legs and fur have an important part to play in the UK’s global effort,” Palmerston’s letter said.“I have championed our work, built our relationships, and celebrated the diversity of our staff.”Cats have been a celebrated feature of British political life for decades. Winston Churchill had a cat named Nelson, and Humphrey was chief mouser to the Cabinet Office under Margaret Thatcher, John Major and briefly Tony Blair.Downing Street’s current chief mouser, Larry, is celebrating 15 years in the job this weekend. Also adopted from Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, he has served six prime ministers, and been claimed as a symbol of continuity in a roiling political era.An unofficial X account paid tribute to Larry’s “old friend” Palmerston despite a 2019 video showing what appeared to be a hostile relationship.