Former UK Foreign Office chief mouser Palmerston dies in Bermuda

Palmerston, the former "chief mouser" of the UK Foreign Office, has died peacefully in Bermuda on February 12, his social media account announced.

The black-and-white cat, a rescue from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, served in Whitehall for four years from 2016 before retiring in 2020. Named after 19th-century Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister Viscount Palmerston, he was formally retired during the Covid pandemic.

In February 2025, Palmerston was "lured out of retirement" for a new diplomatic posting nearly 3,500 miles away, becoming "feline relations consultant (semi-retired)" to Bermuda's Governor Andrew Murdoch, with whom he had lived since retiring.

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A post on his X account paid tribute to the "diplocat extraordinaire", stating he was "a special member of the Government House team in Bermuda, and a much loved family member. He was a wonderful companion, with a gentle nature, and will be sorely missed."

Leading tributes was his former rival, Downing Street chief mouser Larry, who posted: "Farewell old friend x." The two felines were rumored to have had a long-running feud during their overlapping time in Westminster.