Pebbles, the University of Essex campus cat who had his own bronze statue, dies aged 18 after a short illness

Pebbles, the black and white cat who served as the beloved mascot of the University of Essex's Colchester campus, has died at around 18 years old following a brief illness. He first turned up on campus in 2010, was reunited with his owner nearby, but kept coming back until the university agreed to let him remain. Craig Stephens, chief of the Essex Students' Union, took Pebbles into his own home when the cat retired two years ago and said he would miss him "enormously."

Pebbles wandered into lectures, slept in the library, inspired merchandise, and launched a Campus Cat Day and poetry competition.

A bronze statue of Pebbles, one and a half times his actual size on a plinth, was unveiled on campus in 2024.

Students, staff and alumni are invited to visit the statue and leave tributes to the cat Stephens called 'part of what it meant to belong here.'