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 Toff the cat, who was elected to the student Senate, featured in an alumni magazine and on the college’s website.

Rules about animals in buildings on campus didn’t apply to Toff, who would sneak into the dorms for a nap, prowl the library or show up for a random class. 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.