Palmerston, One of the UK’s Chief Mousers, Makes a Super-Hard Life Decision and Gets Support From Everyone

The UK’s Foreign Office’s resident cat, named Palmerston Cat, has recently submitted a document saying he is leaving his duties to “spend more time relaxing away from the limelight.” Up until now, the cat was the chief mouse catcher in the office and was good at performing his responsibilities. And thankfully, he seems to be enjoying his new lifestyle.

We at Bright Side were astonished to see how popular the Chief Mouser’s Twitter page is and would like to tell you a bit more about Palmerston’s life.

The cat’s resignation was announced on his Twitter page that, by the way, has more than 111,000 followers. In his letter, the cat says that after 4 years of serving as the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Chief Mouser, he would like to “enjoy some me-time.”

The black-and-white cat arrived from Battersea Dogs & Cats Home on the 13th of April, 2016. And he got his name after the former Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister, Lord Palmerston.

Larry the Cat and Palmerston

Palmerston caught his first mouse in the office on May 3, 2016. He is known to have had several cat-fights with Larry, Number 10’s main mouse-catcher, and he has been caught sneaking into places he wasn’t supposed to be in. What a weasel!

The caption to the announcement about the ex-employee’s retirement says, “Sad to see you retire Palmerston. You will leave a gaping hole in the diplocat family and we will miss you.”

While the retired cat explains his leave in the following way, “I have found life away from the front line more relaxed. I’ve enjoyed climbing trees and patrolling the fields around my new home in the countryside.”

He also says that he’ll be missing the office and “hearing the footsteps of an Ambassador and sprinting to my hideout to see who it is.”

Palmerston made sure to include a couple of lines about his signature move, which is “pretending to be asleep while overhearing all the foreign dignitaries’ conversations” and says it will be “a major loss for our intelligence gathering.”

“I have been delighted to meet representatives from all over the world and I hope that I’ve done you proud in putting the UK’s best foot, or paw, forward in each interaction. My 105,000 Twitter followers show that even those with 4 legs and fur have an important part to play in the UK’s global effort,” writes Palmerston.

The cat finishes the letter with the words, “Although I am ending my formal role here, I’ll always be an Ambassador for the UK and the new Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office.”

We wish the retired Palmerston all the best in his new life. Do the cat or dog in your home have their own official duties? Are they performing their work well?