I have heard on the grapevine that Palmerston, the Foreign Office cat who I have met at the Foreign Office is very poorly, which is why he has not been seen in and around this huge office block for the past weeks.
Photographers who linger around the place and at No 10 Downing Street are used to seeing him sometimes having an altercation with Larry the mouser at No. 10.
A Foreign Office source said that he is not dead but very poorly. As a consequence he is discharged from his duties as a mouser working cat and has retired by going to live with a senior official at the office.
That is all we know. When I visited the Foreign Office he was there wandering around the vast corridors of power. I was told to leave him alone and not to photograph him but managed to catch a couple of photos nonetheless.
I don’t know his age. His health might be age related. Or perhaps he was injured. What surprises me – almost shocks me – is that Palmerston was allowed to wander around outside as the office is bang in the middle of London where there is a ton of dense traffic. Larry is also allowed to be an inside/outside cat with the same welfare issues.
Palmerston is a tuxedo, black-and-white cat. He was laid back when I met him.
Seeing how fat Larry has gotten at nearly 15 y/o I think it’s time for him to retire as well. And I also think they should let a female replace him. Female cats are much better mousers too.