Palmerston the cat: Government's chief mouse catcher retires

Happy retirement to Palmerston the cat!

After four and a half years as the government's Chief Mouser, he's decided to hang up his boots.

Puss in boots...get it?

He'll finish his duties properly in August and move to the countryside to enjoy his retirement in style.

In a statement released by the Foreign Office, Palmerston said: "Meow".

It's been quite the rags to riches story for Palmerston, who was a stray on the streets of London just five years ago.

He was chosen from a number of hopefuls at Battersea dogs and cats rescue centre by the government's Foreign Office to keep an eye on the mischievous mice in the building.

You might think Palmerston is quite an unusual name but it's inspired by Lord Palmerston who was a UK prime minister in the 19th century.

Palmerston joined a network of highly skilled cats working in important government buildings in London to keep the mice at bay.

Disaster struck in 2019 when Palmerston had to be signed off with stress.

He'd been picked up by staff too much and had become overweight because he was being fed too many treats.

Palmerston took himself away (with the help of a human) and worked on getting himself back into fighting fit condition.

He returned to full duties in December 2019.

The spread of coronavirus saw Palmerston moved to the countryside earlier this year, and he had been "working from home", according to a resignation letter shared by the Foreign Office.

"He's enjoyed lockdown life in countryside so much, he's decided to stay," said the Foreign Office's Sir Simon McDonald.

What a purr-fect end to a meow-vellous story.

If you have a tribute to Palmerston, we want to hear it. Let us know in the comments below.