Sorry, fellow Game of Thrones fans, but Ser Pounce, King Tommen's beloved pet cat, is dead.
Say it ain't so!
It's been a while since we last saw Ser Pounce alive, to be fair. The last time the kitty showed up onscreen, he was hanging out with Tommen as Margaery Tyrell tried to woo him at his bedside.
We doubt you need a refresher, but: Margaery is dead, having been killed during the explosion in the Sept of Baelor at the end of Season 6. Tommen is also dead, having committed suicide upon learning of her loss. Tommen's mother, the murderous and maniacal Cersei, crowned herself queen.
Oh, and she killed the cat. Offscreen, sure, but she killed him nonetheless. (Those of you who've seen Cersei Lannister at work know that this is not at all out of character for someone like her.)
Cersei hated the name 'Ser Pounce' so much she could not allow him to survive," said Game of Thrones show runner David Benioff. "So she came up with her most diabolical [execution]. Ser Pounce's death was so horrible we couldn't even put it on the air."
"If you buy the super-extended, super-charged Game of Thrones box set that comes out," joked fellow show runner Dan Weiss, "the death of Ser Pounce will be in there. Just one whole episode devoted to the death of Ser Pounce."
Don't break our hearts like this, Mr. Weiss.
Benioff says filming with the cat wasn't exactly the easiest thing to do."
That cat was really not fun to work with," Benioff said. "There's a reason the phrase 'like herding cats' came into existence."
Weiss agreed.
"Dogs generally do what you ask them to do if they're smart and well trained," he said. "Cats have their own agenda."
Agenda or not, fans are mourning the sweet, innocent cat.
First HBO got in on it.
...leading to just the sort of reactions you'd expect.
And others soon did too.
We'll miss you, Ser Pounce. Remember this, everyone: In the world of Game of Thrones, absolutely nothing is sacred.