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.