Nero (12/2000 – 11/2016)

61 Replies

When James and I got married back in 2000, I owned 5 cats.  And even though he had never in his life been around animals before, he was very accepting of the situation.  I guess you could say animals are what make me, me.

He actually enjoyed being around the cats in the beginning, so much so, he absolutely had to rescue this one kitten, Nero, from a couple who had just found out they were pregnant and decided Nero posed too much of a health hazard (please do not even get me started on this).  I was against getting another cat… 100% against it.  But James persisted, and I gave in.

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So this cute little kitten came to live with us and unfortunately got beatings from the other cats for a little while.  My gentlest cat, Esmeralda, dished out the most severe beatings, and she was relentless for 2 solid weeks.  She chased him under the washing machine daily.  Eventually the beatings stopped and they became the best of friends.  Ez was the matriarch of the family; she commanded respect and she definitely got it.  When she was 17, arthritic, and could hardly walk, her and Nero would still play chase, and Nero would wait for her to catch up, then bolt off again, and so on and so forth… he knew she hurt, so he was patient and gentle. He even let her win the wrestling matches when, in reality, he could’ve taken her down no problem.

Nero 2010

One spring evening in Arizona, James grilled us some salmon.  Nero was about 7 months old.  James had left his plate of salmon on the coffee table to get up for a second, and Nero was so smart and stealth, he snuck up to James’s plate, grabbed the salmon in his mouth, and ran with it.  Unfortunately, that particular piece of salmon was as big as Nero was, so he didn’t get far. Besides that, Nero was so shocked that his little plan worked, he didn’t know what to do with that huge piece of salmon.  He wasn’t sure if he should eat it, soon decided against it, then ran off, without ever knowing the joy of salmon.

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Nero was a super smart cat.  When we moved to Washington, to a house that had lever handles, it took him no time at all to figure out how to open them.  He loved going around opening all the doors. It was entertainment for him.  James finally had to replace all the levers with knobs because, you know, cats don’t have thumbs.

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This morning we had to say goodbye to our beloved Nero.  His GI tract was shutting down, as were his kidneys, and he had lost too much of his body weight.  I know some cats live longer, but I think 16 is a great, long life for a cat, and we were blessed to have him for so long.  He was loved immensely, spoiled rotten, and will be greatly missed.  Rest in peace, sweet Nero.

61 thoughts on “Nero (12/2000 – 11/2016)”

  1. J Wilson

    Oh dear old Nero I shall miss him coming to see me when I arrive, and sit beside me, so gentle, a few tears as I sit here. RIP Nero he was so gentle and yes he could open those doors. The house will be lonely without him but he had a good long life. Jx

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    1. neveradullbling Post author

      Thank you Gwin! Our animals are our family, special spirits to make us better humans… and you know this, ;D.. so any animal who passes our way, in my family (and I know in your family too) is treated with the love and respect they desire and deserve. Ohmigosh… I just had a thought… I know of your love for animals, but do you have fur-kids?

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      1. Lady G

        I so understand and I think that’s as it should be.
        To answer your question, I do have a fur-kid named Angel!
        She’s a Pom. You can see her in the picture slide show on the right panel of this page.
        Peace to you and your family🌷

        Liked by 1 person

  12. wanderwolf

    I’m sorry Paula. The house probably feels emptier without him… And it’s sad to lose a friend, but it also seems like you have a lot of great memories with him. Nero was a fine looking cat! Very emperor like… I’m sorry for James too- it was his first cat with you, and for AJ, who grew up with him. Do you have other cats? If you do, hope they are okay too in missing their companion.

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    1. neveradullbling Post author

      Thank you Dorothea! He was very much “Emperor Nero.” And yes, it was very sad for James and AJ… but we still have Meep, which is AJ’s cat, who will be around until after AJ graduates high school. Meep is a bit out of sorts tonight, but he’s going to sleep with us so that he’s not lonely (we don’t usually let him sleep with us). 😀

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      2. neveradullbling Post author

        Unfortunately yes. I wanted him to pass peacefully at home, but for the last week, it seemed he was in a lot of pain, and I just couldn’t bare to watch it anymore. He couldn’t hear me, he barely could see me. It was sad. But now he’s happily playing chase with Ez once again, and that’s such a happy thought. 😀

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  17. Darlene

    So sorry for your loss. Nero was a special cat.

    I used to have 5 cats too. Now I have 4. One is going to be 20 years old – and he is my favorite. The other 3 are going to be 13 and 12 (twins).

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  21. SlowRunnerGirl

    I read about Nero on James blog. It breaks my heart. Such a beautiful cat and what an amazing character.
    16 is a great age for cats and I am sure he had a perfect life all cuddling on top of James!

    Sending hugs and love to you!

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  23. LivingOutLoud

    I am so sorry about your loss 😦 Nero was beautiful and sounded like a furry ball of love. I can’t imagine my life without our cats. I am sending you giant *hugs*.
    ❤ Alana

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  26. The Happy Healthy Kiwi

    Saying goodbye to a pet is always hard. We recently had to say goodbye to Libby, our family dog. She was such a ray of sunshine in our lives but she had 17 wonderful years with us and was rather spoilt so we took comfort in that. Sorry for your loss, Nero seems like such an awesome kitty 🙂

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