Nero

This is my first cat, Nero, he's about 16 years old, blind now and has mellowed too much over the years. My gf found him in some drain, terrified because some humans decided to inflict burns on his legs - there are some small patches of skin which remain, fur has never grown back.

He has always been fiesty but always gentle with kittens. He never got over the fact that a human inflicted him with so much pain, when he was just a few weeks old. I was fortunate, because he grew to trust me and only me - and would only allow me to touch, medicate or shower him.

I don't know how long more he has to live, since physically he's very frail - so I have decided to start photographing him now as a keepsake - it's a big deal, coz for a drain cat, he managed to survive this many years.

I'm sure when he goes, it will leave a huge void in my life, that although he's not a lap cat, he's always been THE BOSS of the house in his youth - sparring with other cats - He's been in and out of the clinic for various ailments and each time he came back home. My fear is, one day, he would have used up all his 9 lives and he will not come home at all. That will be a moment I would hate to think about, because no matter how scared he is, cowering under a cupboard, I could stick my hand in and he would never scratch or bite me, but allow me to drag him out - anyone else, would have had their hands bloody - and it has happened too many times before.