A Tribute to Nelson

Having been cat-less for five years since the death of our much-loved tabby, Daisy, and acknowledging that our urge to become a cat family once again had become irresistible (doubtless stimulated by all those beseechingly mute photographic appeals for rehoming in the Cats' Protection Shop in Derby's Wardwick), we duly made our appointment to visit the newly-opened foster unit on the 7th December last year: our first formal approach to the CPL.

Although most of the few cats in residence were falling over themselves to welcome visitors, the one which soon attracted and claimed us was the somewhat more aloof large, one-eyed ginger tom, aptly named 'Nelson' by his rescuers, sitting calmly in his pen. We learnt he had been taken in by a Weston-on-Trent couple as a stray. Because they were not in a position to keep him he was received into CPL care. A prior right eye injury had eventually necessitated its surgical removal, and he was estimated as being around five years old. Vivienne, the foster unit's Warden, was obviously delighted Nelson would have a home of his own by Christmas, and we were to learn subsequently he had been the Unit''s very first inmate following its opening: an event which seemed, to us, worthy of a permanent record. Formalities completed, we drove him back to Derby, answering his Occasional are-we-nearly-there-yet? miaows with reassurance there wasn't much further to go.

Once home, we soon discovered his essential fearlessness and wilfulness as we engaged in the benign clashes of wills marking the shaking down with and accommodating to each other. He soon emerged as an inveterate scrounger and manipulator but, fortunately, quickly grew out of his former survival habit of upturning the kitchen bin for scraps, and his penchant for jumping on kitchen sides was quickly discouraged. He never got out of the night-time habit of opening all the ground-level kitchen cupboard doors occasionally or peering in the open fridge to see what might be available; neither did he quite grow out of scratching our sitting room Agra rug when he was annoyed,despite our providing him with a scratching post which soon became generally known as 'Nelson's Column'. Despite his foibles and sometimes boisterous ways, he soon completely won us over by his affectionate and eventually increasingly trusting nature. Being the mature cat he was, he soon seemed to be ready to be let out the house and then begin the process of exploring his wider surroundings. When he disappeared for any length of time we would panic and have fantasies of being hauled up before some CPL General Disciplinary Committee and disqualified from owning cats again, but he always soon turned up. Although he learnt to tolerate being picked up you could never hold him for more than a minute or so and, fortunately because of his size and weight, he never was a 'lap' cat. He loved to sit close to someone, preferably resting his head on them or a cushion or upholstery, and enjoyed being stroked. He often gave you a playful and gentle nip, although if he reached the stage of scratchfulness it was prudent to let well alone until he'd calmed down. As time passed, his coat became increasingly sleek and glossy. As our mutual affection grew, Nelson would aways announce his arrival home from his wanderings with a single 'miaow', or thank us likewise after we'd fed him, and often engaged us in miaowful conversations in fluent and expressive 'Felinese'. He usually came out to meet us when he heard the car (a favourite vantage point when stationary) arriving home.

In his wider social setting, Nelson thoroughly explored the locality when first let out but soon confined his roaming to the garden and its adjoining two streets. Although the procession of cats down our sideway quickly subsided once his presence was known about, he was often surprisingly submissive when he met any cat face to face, despite his obviously superior size and strength. During his time with us he brought in two mice and one fledgeling, always after having just gone out, so we surmised he wasn't really interested in hunting, but would never turn away a chance to catch something when it was presented to him 'on a plate'. Because of his strength and agility he was the only cat known to us which could shin up our silver birch tree without taking a running jump at it first. Outdoors or indoors he could quickly generate an astonishing turn of speed and would often appear from nowhere, especially when food was in the offing! Being very sociable he would quickly make friends with our visiting son or daughter and her fiancé and would soon be snuggling up to them. He loved being stroked by visitors and responded favourably to vigorous fondling, especially by males. Apart from occasional annoyances, like the vacuum cleaner or clarinet playing, nothing seemed to faze him.

We went away on holiday on the 22nd September. Originally, we were intending to place Nelson in a cattery for the duration, but were pleased when a friend offered to come and stay and cat-sit for us, on the grounds that Nelson would be far happier on his home territory rather than going back into institutional care and wondering whether he might have gone back to square one once again. Somewhere in the middle of Romania on the 30th September we received a message from home telling us that our brother-in-law had died and was being buried the next day in France. Tactfully, nothing else was mentioned. We flew into Heathrow during the late afternoon of the 2nd October and, once formalities were completed, were soon bowling up the M1 full of pleasurable anticipation at the thought of being reunited with Nelson again.

He didn't meet us on arrival and, on getting indoors, our friend broke the news that he had been knocked down by a taxi and killed instantly on the 24th September in the adjoining street about 50 yards from our house. He was found by some neighbours who realised immediately he was dead and, knowing where he lived, came round and broke the sad news. The next day he was buried by our friend and another at the end of our garden, with his head facing towards the house.

After a period of numbed shock and grief, we have now begun setting about trying to come to terms with what has happened. To us it doesn't make much sense that such a beautiful and loving creature, in the prime of his life and full of rude health and vigour, possibly during the happiest period of his previously troubled existence, could have been wiped out in this cruelly unnecessary way. The only comfort we can glean from the whole sorry experience is that we did our very best for him during the nine months or so he was with us, and gained an enormous amount of pleasure and happiness in the process. We now concede that his bold, fearless and adventurous temperament meant it was always on the cards he could meet with such a sudden end.

The morning after the bombshell we contacted Vivienne at the foster unit and arranged an immediate visit, intending to donate our remaining stock of catfood to the foster unit. When we arrived we appreciated talking the situation through with someone who also knew Nelson. Eventually Vivienne advised us: "If I were you, I'd take everything straight back home again and hang on to it, as you'll be getting another cat very soon!" In our hearts we knew she was right. The day after, we went to the Long Lane Shelter and have chosen a mature cat we both took to. Although he seems somewhat shy and nervous and therefore quite different temperamentally from his predecessor, we've figured out that continuing to try and give another cat a happier and more settled life is the best memorial Nelson could have. Tuesday evening, we visited the neighbours who found him to thank them for their efforts and, in general conversation, learned that Nelson was not averse to calling at homes round about in the hope of scrounging something. Saucy beast: he never let on about that!

As for our immediate feline future we hope we are right: Time will tell. Meanwhile, we know that Nelson will always remain a treasured part of our lives just as much as the other two cats we have been privileged to care for at times during our marriage.

Jon and Heather Turner

7th October 2004