Carleton community mourns death of campus cat

NORTHFIELD, Minn. -- A small private college in the Minnesota river town of Northfield has lost a beloved celebrity pet.

The Carleton College community had adopted and embraced Toff the cat, who was elected to the student Senate, featured in an alumni magazine and even prominently displayed on the college's website. 

Toff came to Carleton with his owners, a pair of professors, but ended up being adopted by the entire school as he was regularly seen prowling in the library, checking out classes, crashing trustee parties and sneaking into dorms to take naps on students' beds.

Hard and fast rules about animals in buildings on campus didn't apply to Toff. His birthday on April 1 was always celebrated with cake around campus.

Toff even had a recommended reading list at the campus bookstore.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press says news of Toff's death Sunday due to cancer brought a flood of alumni condolences to the cat's Facebook page.

Toff the cat was 14-years-old.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)