Seronikos was born in the shadow of the Panathenaic Way. According to legend, one day he curled up right in front of Euripides’ sandal. Though the poet first shooed him away, he paused upon seeing the weight of tragedy in Seronikos’ eyes. “There is Electra’s loneliness in this gaze,” he murmured, and shared his fig honey with him.

From that day on, Seronikos was regarded as the most literary cat in Athens. He wandered backstage during tragedy rehearsals, and strolled the Theater of Dionysus by night. It is said that Aristophanes once wrote him into a play as a background character — but Seronikos rejected the role, finding the script beneath him. With his dramatic silence, he is said to have made even the sophists of the Agora envious.

Henrikides’ tale is a bit more political. As a kitten, he once curled up on Pericles’ chair atop the Pnyx Hill. When Aspasia saw him, she smiled: “Little citizen,” she said, “perhaps democracy begins with you.” Since that day, Henrikides has been considered the mascot of the people’s assembly.

At night, he would sneak into the Bouleuterion and sleep atop the decision tablets. Once, he was caught stealing a potsherd during an ostrakismos vote — one that bore the name of a playwright. But no one scolded him. For everyone knows: there is always something of the Athenian sky in Henrikides’ eyes — clear, free, and wise.