Status: 22.09.2023, 07:12 a.m.
By: Felix Herz
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Mourning for the Augsburg campus cat: At the age of 16, Leon, who strayed over the railing of the University of Augsburg, fell asleep peacefully with his owner. © Stefan Puchner/dpa
For years, Leon the cat accompanied students in Augsburg through everyday university life. Now the red cat has fallen asleep forever in the presence of his owner.
Augsburg – Leon was a nationally known celebrity. The red cat, 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 passed away and an entire university community is mourning together.
CampusCat Leon is dead: He was once even a topic 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 around the grounds through strenuous exam phases and difficult exams. A Facebook account was quickly born, which 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 cat. The reason was a petition that had reached the necessary number of signatories, and which demanded that Leon "be hired by the Free State of Bavaria as a service cat of the University of Augsburg". The application was rejected, but this did not harm the popularity of the university cat at all.
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Deep mourning for the death of CampusCat: "You were the eternal companion of my studies"
In an emotional Facebook post on Sunday, September 17, the operators of the page "CampusCat Augsburg" announced that Leon "passed away peacefully at home with his owner" on Thursday, September 14. The cat hadn't been doing so well for some time, which is why he hadn't roamed the university campus anymore. "For so many years he kept us company during stressful exam periods, exhausting lectures or in the breaks between two courses and cheered us up with his inimitable, funny and loving manner. We loved him as he loved us," reads 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 grief over the death of their campus cat. "You have been 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, Katerchen," another user commented. In total, more than 19 comments have been collected under the post so far (as of Tuesday morning, September 400), and it has been shared 339 times. More than 4,000 people reacted to the post, most with sad faces and hearts. A farewell worthy of the red cat - probably the most famous cat in Bavaria. (FHZ)
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