Palmerston, the British Foreign Office's famous cat and "Chief Mouser," announced his retirement on Twitter
horecchio@businessinsider.com (Haven Orecchio-Egresitz)
August 10, 2020, 12:09 PM ·2 min read
Palmerston, the British Foreign Office cat, is retiring this month. Sir Simon McDonald wishes him well.
Sir Simon McDonald Twitter
Palmerston, the cat assigned to the British Foreign Office, has retired from his post as "Chief Mouser."
The cat was adopted four years ago and has helped mitigate a rodent problem and is also very cute.
Now he's headed to live in the countryside, the office announced last week.
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Palmerston, the British Foreign Office's resident cat, is leaving his post for a life of leisure in the countryside.
The "Chief Mouser" announced his retirement by posting his resignation letter to Simon McDonald, the office's permanent under-secretary, on Twitter.
In it, he said that he enjoyed working from home so much he's decided to make the move to his country residence permanent at the end of August.
"I have found life away from the front line relaxed, quieter, and easier," the letter said.
It was signed with two paw prints.
—Palmerston (@DiploMog) August 7, 2020
Palmerston — named after longest-serving British Foreign Secretary — arrived at the office in 2016 as a rescue.
Palmerston was beloved among government officials, except for Larry, the cat-in-residence at nearby 10 Downing Street, who he would sometimes fight with in the street outside the British prime minister's home, according to The Associated Press.
—Sir Simon McDonald (@SMcDonaldFCO) August 7, 2020
In the resignation letter, Palmerston was a tad less than humble, touting his successes at work.
In addition to building a network of "diplocats and diplodogs," he noted his expertise at building relationships, catching mice, and essentially working as a spy.
"My signature move: pretending to be asleep while overhearing all the foreign dignitaries' conversations, will be a major loss for our intelligence gathering," Palmerston said. "But as I grow older, I must take a step back from diplomatic duties and enjoy some me-time."
—Foreign Office 🇬🇧 (@foreignoffice) August 7, 2020
The announcement prompted congratulatory notes from UK officials.
Jon Benjamin, director of the department's Diplomatic Academy, wished him a "very happy retirement.″
"He left us a slightly chewed dead mouse next to my desk in @UKDipAcademy once,″ he tweeted, adding "we were of course not very grateful."
—(((Jon Benjamin))) ⚒🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇨🇱🇬🇭✡️ (@JonBenjamin19) August 7, 2020
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