Achilles the Hermitage cat gets top tourism gong

Achilles the cat, the beloved mascot of the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg who gained fame as a football prognosticator, has been honoured for promoting tourism in the Leningrad Region. Achilles scooped a prize, sponsored by the local government, for best Instagram photo which showed the moggie posing in front of billboards depicting another regional mascot—an elk named Losily. Achilles attended an awards ceremony at which the Leningrad governor petted him and gave him eight kilogrammes of cat food as a prize. After the World Cup ended in July, Achilles participated in a news conference when it was announced that his sports career was over. However, he would continue his mission as a feline therapist visiting the elderly, hospitals and hospices as an animal rights activist and proud representative of the Hermitage.