Sorry in advance for the novel ahead...
I've been on TCS since 2007, joined to ask questions about hyperthyroidism since my now-ex-husband's cat Tigger had been diagnosed. She passed shortly after. In 2008, we adopted Nero from a local shelter. He was a 3-month old black bundle of energy - literally hanging upside down in the cage they had him in, the last of 6 littermates to find a home. And the start of my love for giving black cats a home. Nero had chronic sinus infections as a kitten, and was on various medications for the first 8-9 months of his life. He dutifully took them via syringe, until one day he'd had enough, spit it back in my face, and improved enough to where he didn't need any meds anymore. He'd still have occasional snot rockets, stuck everywhere that was Nero-height, but his need for prescriptions went away. In 2009, I started volunteering for another large shelter in the area (Charleston Animal Society, for those who've seen them in the news - they've made national & international news over the last few years) and during my orientation, spotted Neko - formerly named Jim Bob at the shelter. He'd be our 3rd cat, as we adopted a 2-year old black cat named Hoshi earlier that year (my ex-husband still has him, he needed his eyes removed about 2 years ago due to blindness and inflamed eyes causing 'migraines').
Nero & Neko were 1 month apart in age, and they bonded like true siblings from the get-go. The day they were introduced, Nero hopped up on a weight bench and pushed Neko's head down, then they ran off together to play. I have countless pictures of them laying together, cleaning each other, and playing over the years. They were with me through a divorce, the end of a 4 year relationship, the death of a boyfriend, and experiencing single-life for the first time in 13 years. They moved from house to apartment to apartment to house. Neko LOATHED change, but he always adapted. Nero was the most adaptable cat in the world. They were each other's yin and yang.
Nero was the most loving, in-your-face-give-me-attention cat. He climbed on the back of the cable guy one time while he bent down to hook the cable into the wall. Neko was the complete and utter opposite. He could be found under the bed or behind the couch the majority of the time anyone other than myself, my ex-husband, or ex-bf were around. Even when my ex-in laws were in charge of feeding/scooping whenever we were on vacation, over the course of 3 years, Neko wanted nothing to do with them. He was a butthead, but he sure loved me, and I him. Nero may have been my heart kitty, from day 1. Nero loved the Shepherds and used to play with Ruger as a puppy - great videos of him winning the tumble-war against the dog. Neko beat both of them up once and only once, and would sit and observe them avoid him.
In April 2017, I noticed Neko getting very skinny. He was tiny when I got him, thanks to a tapeworm, and filled out over the years to a healthy sized kitty. I had hoped it was just another tapeworm, or maybe hyperthyroidism like Tigger had. He also started becoming "nicer" - very unlike him. I dropped him off at the vet, they told me to take him to a specialty vet in town for further examination as they weren't sure. I dropped him off there, and took Ruger to a search & rescue evaluation. Ruger was so concerned about his kitty brother, even though this was the one who didn't want anything to do with him. He whined at the carrier, bumped his nose against the grate, and laid next to it while waiting for them to come in the room. The specialty vet called as I was leaving and told me that Neko had abnormal kidneys, they were deformed and had cysts or cells stuffed all inside - they couldn't tell me if it was cancer or something else, and unfortunately BOTH were affected. After many more tests, they determined he had stage 4 kidney failure. They swooned over how sweet he was - a cat who hated everyone he didn't know. I almost made the decision to put him down if he wasn't going to get better, even brought Nero by that day, in case it was time to say goodbye - but one of the e-vets there said to give him 1 more night. And so I did. And the next day he made almost a miraculous improvement. Most of his bad levels were cut in half from what they'd been before, he perked up, and he was becoming a little jerkface to the vets & techs. Decided to go ahead with treatments - a cat I had growing up had kidney failure and I had to give him sub-Q fluids, so it wasn't anything new. Neko pepped up for quite awhile. I brought him home, $4,000 later, and just to have him in my lap, then playing with toys & with Nero, eating his special food, and laying in the sun in his cat tree was worth every penny spent. The two became even more inseparable. I had 2 cat trees in their room (yep they had their own bedroom in the house), and would come home to find both of them squished in the same spot.
Neko started going downhill again, as much as I didn't want to recognize it. They couldn't really do anything else for him - the disease was finally winning the fight. My roommate called me while I was at a friend's and told me to come home because it was time. I found Neko hiding in the dryer in a pile of clean clothes, with frothy drool around his mouth. I knew I was doing the best for him, but I wasn't ready to lose him. I brought him to see Nero one more time. I took him to be sniffed by the dogs one more time. I cried with him in my lap the whole way to the vet, and held him wrapped in a towel in the room they would do it in. I was crying, and he placed his paw on top of my hand, as if he was telling me it was okay - and was lucky enough to get a picture of the moment.
Neko was born on April 16, 2008 - My beautiful, photogenic, klepto, jerkface cat crossed the bridge on Sept 14, 2017.
I got home and clung to Nero. He seemed to know. He rarely ever went back into the cat tree. He would lay tucked under my chin every chance he could get. I told him "you need to live to be a nice, healthy 20 year old cat". Maybe 3 weeks later, I noticed a lump on his head, hoping upon hope it was only a cyst. Growing up, I had a cat with a nasal tumor, we had to put him down the day we found out as he'd stopped eating and there was no real treatment that would improve his life. The vet took a sample and said he believed it was going to be a tumor - back to the specialty vet. They tested the samples and told me it was a nasal carcinoma and it was growing FAST. I could try chemotherapy, but radiation was the best course. It would be $4,000-5,000 and the closest location was about 2 hours away in Columbia. I was willing to do what I had to do for my baby boy, but when she told me they wouldn't even be able to even see results for up to 4-6 weeks, I knew he didn't have that long. He had stopped eating almost altogether. Mid-November I knew time was getting short. He slept tucked up against me every night, some nights snoring heavily because the tumor had grown so large, it even caused him to be unable to open his right eye anymore. I didn't want to put him down on Nov 18, because that was Ruger's birthday. But I knew all day the following day that it would be the day, I just had to find the strength in me to let my heart kitty cross the bridge and be with his beloved brother. I let the dogs say goodbye, and Ruger whined as he licked Nero's paw through his crate. They were best friends and Ruger's puppyhood playmate. I was always supposed to have 20 years with that sweetest boy, but the 9 years I had him I wouldn't trade for anything. I laid on the floor with Nero while the vet put him to sleep. He seemed so peaceful, no more snoring or snot catching in his throat.
Nero was born May 18, 2008 - My handsome, friendly, pumpkin-pupiled, sweetest boy crossed the bridge to be with his brother on Nov 19, 2007.
Part of my heart went with both of them. It was the first time in my life not having a cat around. My now-fiance and I just recently 'adopted' off Craigslist a 4 year old fluffy black Tuxedo cat we re-named Dozer (short for Bulldozer, because of how hard he rams you when he wants pets). He is almost a combination of both my boys - Neko's deep green eyes, Nero's affectionate personality.
Nero & Neko were absolutely irreplaceable - the most unique cats I ever had in my life, the craziest opposites of one another that balanced out so perfectly.
Neko (laying) & Nero, right after bringing Neko home from the hospital stay where he improved shortly after diagnosis of kidney failure.
Neko telling me it was okay to let him go
Nero, at home with me the day he and I decided it was time
I've been on TCS since 2007, joined to ask questions about hyperthyroidism since my now-ex-husband's cat Tigger had been diagnosed. She passed shortly after. In 2008, we adopted Nero from a local shelter. He was a 3-month old black bundle of energy - literally hanging upside down in the cage they had him in, the last of 6 littermates to find a home. And the start of my love for giving black cats a home. Nero had chronic sinus infections as a kitten, and was on various medications for the first 8-9 months of his life. He dutifully took them via syringe, until one day he'd had enough, spit it back in my face, and improved enough to where he didn't need any meds anymore. He'd still have occasional snot rockets, stuck everywhere that was Nero-height, but his need for prescriptions went away. In 2009, I started volunteering for another large shelter in the area (Charleston Animal Society, for those who've seen them in the news - they've made national & international news over the last few years) and during my orientation, spotted Neko - formerly named Jim Bob at the shelter. He'd be our 3rd cat, as we adopted a 2-year old black cat named Hoshi earlier that year (my ex-husband still has him, he needed his eyes removed about 2 years ago due to blindness and inflamed eyes causing 'migraines').
Nero & Neko were 1 month apart in age, and they bonded like true siblings from the get-go. The day they were introduced, Nero hopped up on a weight bench and pushed Neko's head down, then they ran off together to play. I have countless pictures of them laying together, cleaning each other, and playing over the years. They were with me through a divorce, the end of a 4 year relationship, the death of a boyfriend, and experiencing single-life for the first time in 13 years. They moved from house to apartment to apartment to house. Neko LOATHED change, but he always adapted. Nero was the most adaptable cat in the world. They were each other's yin and yang.
Nero was the most loving, in-your-face-give-me-attention cat. He climbed on the back of the cable guy one time while he bent down to hook the cable into the wall. Neko was the complete and utter opposite. He could be found under the bed or behind the couch the majority of the time anyone other than myself, my ex-husband, or ex-bf were around. Even when my ex-in laws were in charge of feeding/scooping whenever we were on vacation, over the course of 3 years, Neko wanted nothing to do with them. He was a butthead, but he sure loved me, and I him. Nero may have been my heart kitty, from day 1. Nero loved the Shepherds and used to play with Ruger as a puppy - great videos of him winning the tumble-war against the dog. Neko beat both of them up once and only once, and would sit and observe them avoid him.
In April 2017, I noticed Neko getting very skinny. He was tiny when I got him, thanks to a tapeworm, and filled out over the years to a healthy sized kitty. I had hoped it was just another tapeworm, or maybe hyperthyroidism like Tigger had. He also started becoming "nicer" - very unlike him. I dropped him off at the vet, they told me to take him to a specialty vet in town for further examination as they weren't sure. I dropped him off there, and took Ruger to a search & rescue evaluation. Ruger was so concerned about his kitty brother, even though this was the one who didn't want anything to do with him. He whined at the carrier, bumped his nose against the grate, and laid next to it while waiting for them to come in the room. The specialty vet called as I was leaving and told me that Neko had abnormal kidneys, they were deformed and had cysts or cells stuffed all inside - they couldn't tell me if it was cancer or something else, and unfortunately BOTH were affected. After many more tests, they determined he had stage 4 kidney failure. They swooned over how sweet he was - a cat who hated everyone he didn't know. I almost made the decision to put him down if he wasn't going to get better, even brought Nero by that day, in case it was time to say goodbye - but one of the e-vets there said to give him 1 more night. And so I did. And the next day he made almost a miraculous improvement. Most of his bad levels were cut in half from what they'd been before, he perked up, and he was becoming a little jerkface to the vets & techs. Decided to go ahead with treatments - a cat I had growing up had kidney failure and I had to give him sub-Q fluids, so it wasn't anything new. Neko pepped up for quite awhile. I brought him home, $4,000 later, and just to have him in my lap, then playing with toys & with Nero, eating his special food, and laying in the sun in his cat tree was worth every penny spent. The two became even more inseparable. I had 2 cat trees in their room (yep they had their own bedroom in the house), and would come home to find both of them squished in the same spot.
Neko started going downhill again, as much as I didn't want to recognize it. They couldn't really do anything else for him - the disease was finally winning the fight. My roommate called me while I was at a friend's and told me to come home because it was time. I found Neko hiding in the dryer in a pile of clean clothes, with frothy drool around his mouth. I knew I was doing the best for him, but I wasn't ready to lose him. I brought him to see Nero one more time. I took him to be sniffed by the dogs one more time. I cried with him in my lap the whole way to the vet, and held him wrapped in a towel in the room they would do it in. I was crying, and he placed his paw on top of my hand, as if he was telling me it was okay - and was lucky enough to get a picture of the moment.
Neko was born on April 16, 2008 - My beautiful, photogenic, klepto, jerkface cat crossed the bridge on Sept 14, 2017.
I got home and clung to Nero. He seemed to know. He rarely ever went back into the cat tree. He would lay tucked under my chin every chance he could get. I told him "you need to live to be a nice, healthy 20 year old cat". Maybe 3 weeks later, I noticed a lump on his head, hoping upon hope it was only a cyst. Growing up, I had a cat with a nasal tumor, we had to put him down the day we found out as he'd stopped eating and there was no real treatment that would improve his life. The vet took a sample and said he believed it was going to be a tumor - back to the specialty vet. They tested the samples and told me it was a nasal carcinoma and it was growing FAST. I could try chemotherapy, but radiation was the best course. It would be $4,000-5,000 and the closest location was about 2 hours away in Columbia. I was willing to do what I had to do for my baby boy, but when she told me they wouldn't even be able to even see results for up to 4-6 weeks, I knew he didn't have that long. He had stopped eating almost altogether. Mid-November I knew time was getting short. He slept tucked up against me every night, some nights snoring heavily because the tumor had grown so large, it even caused him to be unable to open his right eye anymore. I didn't want to put him down on Nov 18, because that was Ruger's birthday. But I knew all day the following day that it would be the day, I just had to find the strength in me to let my heart kitty cross the bridge and be with his beloved brother. I let the dogs say goodbye, and Ruger whined as he licked Nero's paw through his crate. They were best friends and Ruger's puppyhood playmate. I was always supposed to have 20 years with that sweetest boy, but the 9 years I had him I wouldn't trade for anything. I laid on the floor with Nero while the vet put him to sleep. He seemed so peaceful, no more snoring or snot catching in his throat.
Nero was born May 18, 2008 - My handsome, friendly, pumpkin-pupiled, sweetest boy crossed the bridge to be with his brother on Nov 19, 2007.
Part of my heart went with both of them. It was the first time in my life not having a cat around. My now-fiance and I just recently 'adopted' off Craigslist a 4 year old fluffy black Tuxedo cat we re-named Dozer (short for Bulldozer, because of how hard he rams you when he wants pets). He is almost a combination of both my boys - Neko's deep green eyes, Nero's affectionate personality.
Nero & Neko were absolutely irreplaceable - the most unique cats I ever had in my life, the craziest opposites of one another that balanced out so perfectly.
Neko (laying) & Nero, right after bringing Neko home from the hospital stay where he improved shortly after diagnosis of kidney failure.
Neko telling me it was okay to let him go
Nero, at home with me the day he and I decided it was time
