First week without dear Nelson

So last Friday was a sad day, we took Nelson back to the RSPCA to be re-homed. He hadn't been in the house for a good few months (apart from when we locked him in by special request from the neighbours one evening, which didn't go down well with Nelson). With winter on the way we couldn't have him living outside in the cold, as he usually gets a bit sniffley anyway let alone when he's living outside. Number 33 had said the other day that he had started sleeping in their shed. The last few days that he was with us he was still coming back once or twice a day for his food (eating on the front door step), and his fur felt really cold from being outside all night. So we know we've done the right thing, but we will both miss him very much.

Nelson was a cat who just loved our company. Whenever he saw us outside, he would come running over as fast as he could (with his long fur blowing behind him in the wind). Sometimes he'd be right up at the top of the road and as soon as he heard his name being called, the front door closing, or saw me or Luke he would come bounding down the road.

He also had a habit of appearing outside at inconvenient times, often just as I was about to walk up to work. Sometimes I wouldnt even notice until I heard a little 'Meow' at my ankle, when I was round the corner and half way down the next street and I would realise he'd followed me again. This would then involve me having to pick him up and carry him back to the house, and distract him with some food, before quickly running back up the road and round the corner before he saw me again. Sometimes I had to do this 3 times before I'd actually 'lose' him.

Nelson also liked to take a stroll to the shops with us - usually the 'living room' shop at the bottom of our road. He'd wait patiently outside for us and then walk back with us. Once he followed me all the way up to Co-Op (a 10 minute walk). He waited outside for me, but then was too tired to walk back, so I had to carry him home.

Nelson was never a lap cat, but would sit next to us, and always want to be in the same room as us. He loved a stroke on his head and back, and right from the first day we got him he would love to rub his cheeks on our hands or face and pick up the 'family' smell. He didn't have a loud purr, but he would purr quietly, and only really started meowing when we got Flo (probably for attention, which we always gave him whilst ignoring Flo because he was just so jealous). Nelson would 'paw' the tops of our sofa chairs when he was really happy - a kitten-like response.

Being a long-haired cat, Nelson left big clumps of his fur everywhere! He hated to be groomed, but did a really good job of keeping his fur matt-free himself. Apart from the time he got a slug stuck under his chin, which Luke had to deal with.

I'll always miss our dear Nelly, he was my favourite pet ever, and I'm absolutely devastated to have had to give him up. I just hope he finds a new owner who loves him as dearly as we did, and gives him the happy home he deserves.