He was named "Beast" by the "Kitty Rescue Society", who originally found him. He was so named because of the large ruff of hair around his face, making him appear as a little lion sometimes. Beast's nicknames were "Fluff" (which described both his appearance as well as intellect) and "Schrödinger" (he was the embodiment of uncertainty).
Now that Beast has died and we have acquired two new cats (Keegan
and Rafiki), and thus we have "normal" cats for
comparison, I am convinced that Beast was mentally ill. I think he
had as good of a life as he could considering his illness.