April1978 - 5th March1997
I got Nero back in the Spring of 1978 as a kitten when I was only 8.....he was my cat and soul-mate. As he matured Nero became a very noble cat, and was always homely. Nero loved to eat chicken and fish, and on birthdays he'd get a whole trout or mackerel. Smoked Salmon was his favourite. You'd often find him curled up on the boiler or bed, hanging out in the lounge or sunning in the garden. At heart Nero was a garden cat, admirable and peaceful.
Caesar came on the scene in 1984 and was a lover of attention, so much so that he'd sit out front of the house and 'accost' passers-by with total success. Caesar would always try to challenge Nero's dominance, but Nero was king. Outside the house Caesar ruled the neighbourhood and was forever getting into fights and bringing mice or birds home. The two cats nevertheless got on well, getting ample attention and food, and a little too much cream! In fact all the animals in the house tolerated eachother, since they all had their place in the heirachy and all got loads of attention.
March 1997 was a really bad month for us all. At the grand age of 21, Nero had had a full and happy life and was now showing his age. On the 5th I found Nero in his basket. He couldn't move or stand-up, and kept meowing to me. I knew. I called the vets to come. It was a lovely mild spring day I remember clearly, and an hour before they came I wrapped Nero up in towels and took him with me into the garden and onto the lawn. Nero had always loved flowers and I lay out by him a bunch of really nice ones. We sat together with me stroking and holding him, and I was talking to him about our 21 years together.We were soulmates. Nero died in my arms not soon afterwards. I was devastated, and I still am. I try to reason that he wanted to die in my arms in his garden, but it still hurts very deep. I loved him so much. When Nero died, something inside of me died too. RIP.
