NOEL KING, HOST:
Good morning. I'm Noel King. One of Britain's most beloved public figures is stepping down - Palmerston the cat was the Foreign Office's chief mouser. The black-and-white rescue's reputation wasn't spotless. He got in at least one public fight with Larry, head mouse catcher for the prime minister. Palmerston is retiring to the countryside. On Twitter, he said he'll miss listening in on high-level diplo-catic (ph) discussions but is enjoying his meantime. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.