LONDON, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- The British Foreign Office staff has been asked to stop giving the department's chief mouser, Palmerston the cat, tidbits to eat amid speculations that his mouse catching skills have dropped due to overfeeding.
In a memo sent out to senior officials at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office late last week, Permanent Under Secretary of State Simon MacDonald asked directors to tell their staff not to feed the black and white tomcat, who was responsible for mouse control at the building, local media reported.
The Telegraph quoted sources close to the matter as saying that while most staff has not noticed any change to Palmerston's waistline, senior officials' concern over the cat's possible overeating has prompted speculation that his mousing skills had fallen.
A spokesman for the Foreign Office confirmed that the memo has been sent, it reported.
The cat, who assumed office in April 2016, was named after 19th-century British statesman Lord Palmerston. He was taken in by the Foreign Office from the animal shelter, Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, in 2016.
According to figures released in September last year, the cat had been spotted catching 27 mice since his arrival.
