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A Foreign Office cat known as the Chief Mouser has delighted officials by making his first catch just weeks into the job.

Palmerston the black and white cat was congratulated on Twitter by top civil servant Sir Simon McDonald after snaring his first rodent on Tuesday.

The FCO's permanent under secretary tweeted a picture of the proud moggy reclining on the carpet, and praised his work as the second biggest news story of the day after Leicester's historic title victory.

The feline was a rescue cat from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home and has been named after the former Foreign Minister and Prime Minister, Lord Palmerston.

In his short career in office, the cat has already met ambassadors from Spain and South Korea.

The idea of having a Chief Mouser at the FCO came from Downing Street, who have employed a resident ‘mouser’ since the reign of Henry VIII.

The current Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office is a brown and white tabby named Larry Cameron.