Palmerston, the black-and-white feline that appeared from the streets of London to the hallowed halls of the British Foreign Office, has died on the island of Bermuda, the Foreign Office announced Monday.
The former Foreign Office “mouse catcher in chief” left Whitehall in 2020, but returned to the spotlight in 2025 when he joined Bermuda’s new governor, Andrew Murdoch, in the overseas territory, according to an Instagram post.
According to Cat X’s account, the “diplomat extraordinaire” passed away peacefully on February 12th.
The cat, affectionately known as “Palmy”, was “a special member of the Bermuda Governor’s Office team and a much-loved family member,” the post said.
“He was a great companion with a kind personality and will be greatly missed.”
Palmerston was rescued from the Battersea Dog and Cat Home and joined the Foreign Office in 2016, during a period of political upheaval in Britain, months before Britain voted to leave the European Union.
The cat, named after Viscount Palmerston, a 19th-century foreign secretary and prime minister, has quickly gained a large fan base online, boasting nearly 100,000 followers as of Tuesday, closely following his adventures across Westminster.
Palmerston celebrated his 15th anniversary in office by working hard with Britain’s most famous cat, Larry, who lives at 10 Downing Street.
“Goodbye old friend X,” Larry said at X.
Among Palmerston’s many contributions to the British public service was pest control. According to a congratulatory X post from former Permanent Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Simon Macdonald, Mr Palmerston caught his first mouse just weeks after taking over.
He is also a philanthropist, raising more than 3,000 British pounds ($4,082) for the Battersea Dog and Cat Home.
Mr Palmerston left the company in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic to “take some relaxing time away from the spotlight”, according to a cat-paw letter to McDonald’s.
“I miss hearing the ambassador’s footsteps and rushing to the hideout to see who it was,” Palmerston wrote, adding that his resignation would be “a great loss to intelligence gathering” but that it was time to “enjoy my time.”
In 2025, the “perfect role” saved Palmerston from retirement, Cat told X.
According to his X account, Palmerston ditched the gray skies and rain of London for the white sand beaches and crystal clear waters of Bermuda, where in his final days he was seen playing with giant avocados, welcoming foreign dignitaries and handing out poppies ahead of Memorial Day.
