This was Guildenstern.
Not the brightest, but he had the longest line of female fans. All women loved him for reasons unknown. A professional cuddler, a feline Casanova, lover of all women and girls without distinction (why he had this preference we never figured out). A cup tipper.
He came into my life with Rosenkrantz 14 years ago. He could always win people over very quickly, cuddle for 12 hours straight while purring non-stop, and occasionally cause trouble. The particular targets of his wrath were objects on tables; the targets of his gourmet tastes were teas, especially herbal ones: he preferred to drink them by dipping one paw in, which he then licked with the air of a distinguished connoisseur.
In his rivalry with Rosenkrantz, I was always more on Rosenkrantz’s side, but despite the perpetually slightly dopey expression, you could never deny him his elegance, playfulness and… we loved each other. Cats have very specific personalities and ours in particular know how to show pleasure and displeasure, boredom and tiredness. He had a beautiful life with us, and it’s honestly fascinating how many people considered him a friend and what they experienced with him. Some remembered that he always looked the way they felt. There are people who, at more than one party, felt that Guildenstern was judging them: and therefore they should start behaving more dignified. And the vast majority recalled his endless waves and waves of cuddling.
In February 2026, he was struck by a short, intense, and very unpleasant illness. Over the course of a single week, the vets wrote him off several times and then hope appeared. But ultimately, during his pre-surgery stay at the hospital, he experienced a rapid decline.
When he was tiny, I sometimes had to feed him from a bottle and check that he was breathing properly. When he was leaving, I held his paw, scratched him, he purred and looked me in the eyes, even though he could barely breathe. Then his eyes widened one last time, his tongue came out, and he lost consciousness. He died 23.2. 2026 doing what he loved most: cuddling and looking like a fool.
Our friends also made quite a few artworks of him; I’m attaching some here.
