Snapshots of the life of the Foreign Office’s cat Palmerston

I recently visited the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) from where the UK’s Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson works. You have probably heard that there is a resident house cat who is named after a former Prime Minister: Palmerston.

Palmerston’s role is to keep down the mice and rats. I was told that he has caught 22 mice since the start of his employment which was not that long ago. I managed to grab two poor photos of him. There were lots of people in the building which encouraged Palmerston to find a quite corner.

In the first photo he is telling us that he had had enough of the public and wanted some peace and quiet and in the second he has found it. The area was out of bounds to the public and the photo is unauthorised and may be taken down by someone in authority!

Palmerston
Palmerston in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office wanting some peace and quiet walks off to find it.
Palmerston in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office wanting some peace and quiet finds it away from the public.
Palmerston in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office wanting some peace and quiet finds it away from the public.

The building’s interior is very grand and ornate in places. It is a working office. Palmerston does go outside and occasionally meets and fights with the cat from No 10, Larry; not good but they were selected for their rat catching skills. Palmerston is a rescue cat from the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, not far away from the corridors of power along Parliament Street (Whitehall), the location of the FCO.

4 thoughts on “Snapshots of the life of the Foreign Office’s cat Palmerston”

  1. The author of the best comment will receive an Amazon gift of their choice at Christmas! Please comment as they can add to the article and pass on your valuable experience.
    • Thanks Diane. He is a fine cat. Very laid back. It looks strange to see him wandering around this massive building where enormous decisions are made concerning the UK.

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