According to CNN, England and Manchester City duo John Stones and Kyle Walker adopted a stray cat that kept turning up at the team hotel throughout the tournament.
Nicknamed Dave, the two players had posted regular updates and photos of the cat on most nights.
“He was there one day so we adopted him, Stonesy and I,” Walker told the official Football Association media channel.
“The first day we get there, Dave shows up,” Stones said. “Every night he would sit there waiting for his food.”
According to the BBC, Dave left Qatar just hours after the England players, following the team’s 2-1 loss to France in the World Cup quarter-final on Saturday.
The cat will spend four months in quarantine before moving to its new home.
A post shared by the England football team (@england)
Stray cats are commonplace in Qatar, and while Stones and Walker befriended Dave, not everyone at the tournament was a fan of the roaming felines.
The cat wandered across the table to the unnamed press officer, who proceeded to grab it by the back of the neck and throw it to the floor.
As the journalists gasped, the media officer shrugged, while Vincius laughed.
“We hope someone is taking care of this sweet cat who is probably homeless, like so many others,” PETA added.
