HomeBavaria
Mourning for the Augsburg campus cat: At the age of 16, Leon, who wandered over the railings of Augsburg University, fell asleep peacefully with his owner. © Stefan Puchner/dpa
For years, the cat Leon accompanied students in Augsburg through everyday university life. Now the red tomcat has fallen asleep forever in the presence of his owner.
Augsburg – Leon was a nationally known celebrity. The red tomcat, also known as “Campuscat Augsburg” – according to his Facebook account with almost 29,000 followers – was once even a topic in the Bavarian state parliament. Now he has died and an entire university community is mourning together.
CampusCat Leon is dead: he was once even an issue in the Bavarian state parliament
Leon was a university cat who gained fame by accompanying the students of the University of Augsburg for years with his forays across the campus through strenuous exam phases and difficult exams. A Facebook account was quickly born and grew rapidly. Countless television and newspaper reports also dealt with the star of the University of Augsburg – we also reported on Leon, for example when he was accidentally locked up on Christmas Eve.
In 2019, the highlight of Leon’s career as CampusCat: The Bavarian State Parliament in Munich dealt with the red tomcat. The reason was a petition that had reached the necessary number of signatories and that demanded that Leon “be hired by the Free State of Bavaria as a service cat at the University of Augsburg.” The application was rejected, but this in no way harmed the popularity of the university cat.
(By the way: Our Bavaria newsletter informs you about all the important stories from the Free State. Sign up here.)
Deep sadness for the death of the CampusCat: “You were the eternal companion of my studies”
In an emotional Facebook post, the operators of the “CampusCat Augsburg” page announced on Sunday, September 17th that Leon “passed away peacefully at home with his owner” on Thursday, September 14th. The cat had not been feeling well for some time, which is why he had stopped roaming the university grounds. “For so many years he kept us company during stressful exam periods, strenuous lectures or in the breaks between two courses and cheered us up with his inimitable, funny and loving nature. We loved him, as he loved us,” it says in a post on Facebook. “Rest in peace, little red hero!”
In numerous comments, students and former students and employees of the University of Augsburg express their sadness over the death of their campus cat. “You were the eternal companion of my studies and my virtual companion for years until today,” writes one user, for example. “He brought joy to so many people! Get over the rain bridge safely, little cat,” commented another user. In total, more than 400 comments have been collected on the post so far (as of Tuesday morning, September 19th) and it has been shared 339 times. More than 4,000 people responded to the post, most with sad faces and little hearts. A farewell worthy of the red tomcat – probably the most famous cat in Bavaria. (fhz)
Breathtaking and spectacular: 7 of the most beautiful vantage points with panoramic views in Bavaria
View photo series
You can always read all the news from all over Bavaria with us. News and stories from the Free State are also on ours Facebook page Merkur Bayern to find.
2023-09-19 19:38:38
#Augsburg #CampusCat #Leon #died #Rest #peace #red #hero
