Palmerston, Rival to No. 10 Downing Street’s ‘Chief Mouser,’ Dies

Palmerston, the chief mouser of the United Kingdom’s Foreign Office, sadly passed away this past Thursday in Bermuda. Palmerston’s official X account posted the news this past Friday.

“Palmerston, Diplocat extraordinaire, passed away peacefully on 12 February,” the post reads “‘Palmy’ 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.”

The beloved tuxedo cat was first rescued from the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home in 2016. He was named after the U.K’.s longest-serving foreign minister, Lord Palmerston. Palmerston the cat (not the lord) served under one permanent secretary, Simon McDonald, and four foreign secretaries: Philip Hammond, Boris Johnson, Jeremy Hunt, and Dominic Raab.

Palmerston’s time at the Foreign Office wasn’t without controversy. According to The Independent, Palmerston was rumored to have a long-standing feud with Larry, the Chief Mouser at No. 10 Downing (aka the Prime Minister’s official residence and office). The Times recounts that Palmerston would often sneak off to No. 10 to swipe some of Larry’s food — and even went farther down the street to steal the food of Evie, a Cabinet Office cat. 

But despite their initial animosity, it seems Larry and Palmerston’s relationship eventually became one of mutual respect. 

“Towards the end of their time, I felt like they had a kind of respect for one another,” said Downing Street photographer Justing Ng to The Times. “They would, quite often in the summer, sleep near each other as if they were begrudging friends.”

Palmerston took a brief leave of absence in July 2019, after he was found overgrooming, a common sign of stress in cats. When he returned, McDonald instilled the Palmerston Protocols, a set of rules designed to elevate Palmerston’s standard of living. Under these new rules, only Palmerston’s official caretakers were to feed him and he was given a smaller space to roam. Additionally, staff was cautioned to respect his personal space and not to disturb him when he was asleep. 

After four years of dedicated service, Palmerston retired in 2020. During his retirement in the Hampshire countryside with McDonald, Palmerston really connected with one particular person: Andy Murdoch, the husband of McDonald’s private secretary. 

“So, Andy became his person,” McDonald recalled to The Times. 

In 2025, Murdoch was made governor of Bermuda. So, Palmerston came out of five years of peaceful retirement for a return to public service. Dubbed a “felines relations consultant (semi-retired),” he journeyed to Bermuda with Murdoch, where he lived until his passing. 

“He was wonderfully affectionate, incredibly gentle and enjoyed our company,” Murdoch said to The Times. “He became a true member of the family. All the team at Government House got to know Palmy. He would tour the offices to check everyone was at their desks and spend time with everyone. He will be much missed.”

Across X, United Kingdom and foreign officials offered their condolences. Among the officials who paid tribute to Palmerston was Larry himself. Even amidst the rumors of their rivalry, Larry’s (unofficial) X account retweeted Palmerston’s post, addressing him as an “old friend” in his tribute.

This week actually marks 15 years of Larry’s time at Downing Street. The celebration, however, is bittersweet with the news of his frenemy’s passing.