‘Game of Thrones’ Showrunners Reveal Ser Pounce Died a Horrible Death

The creators of Game of Thrones have confirmed that Ser Pounce is dead.

Ser Pounce was King Tommen’s cat. The cat jumped up into bed with Tommen during a Season 6 scene while Margaery Tyrell was flirting with the young king. Despite having barely any screentime, Game of Thrones fans became obsessed with the cat.

Tommen committed suicide at the end of that season after his mother, Queen Cersei, destroyed the Sept of Baelor with Margaery inside. Ser Pounce was never seen again. The showrunners confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that Cersei had the cat executed.

“Cersei hated the name ‘Ser Pounce’ so much she could not allow him to survive,” David Benioff said. “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, the death of Ser Pounce will be in there,” Dan Weiss added. “Just one whole episode devoted to the death of Ser Pounce.”

That’s a joke, of course. While there is a Game of Thrones box set coming out later this year, the showrunners say that it was a challenge just to get as much footage of Ser Pounce as they did.

“That cat was really not fun to work with,” Benioff said. “There’s a reason the phrase ‘like herding cats’ came into existence.”

“Dogs generally do what you ask them to do if they’re smart and well trained,” Weiss said. “Cats have their own agenda.”

While it’s easy to consider this as just Cersei being cruel for cruelty’s sake, it makes a certain sense. Cersei loved her children deeply and that cat likely reminded her of the fate that her actions pushed her son towards. It is no wonder she’d want to get rid of Ser Pounce.

Back in 2016, Dean-Charles Chapman, the actor who played Tommen, imagined a happier ending for Ser Pounce.

“Good question. Ser Pounce must be lying about somewhere,” Chapman told THR. “He’s a bit of a diva. (Laughs.) He’s probably drinking some cocktails somewhere, laying out in the sun.”

Fans of George RR Martin’s books will note that Ser Pounce is still alive in that version of the Game of Thrones saga. Maybe he’ll find a better end there.

What do you think of Ser Pounce’s fate? Let us know how you feel about it in the comments section!

Game of Thrones returns to HBO for its final season on April 14th.