Remembering The World’s Greatest Cat: Nigel Young, 2009 To March 2022
This is actually hard for me to write about, for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, I miss Nigel’s ability to behave much more like a well-trained support dog than a finicky cat. I will forever miss his ability to answer to his name, rest on my chest while he “made biscuits” with my goatee, and how he would lie in the sun with a fine bottle of local wine (see above photo). Secondly, I feel guilty comparing Nigel to any cat that comes after him (including our current rescue cat Bonsai, who is a wonderful animal but so very different from Nigel). It was my decision to get back into the “cat business” just 4 months after Nigel’s passing, in March of 2022; I agreed to adopt Bonsai mostly because I thought I’d never get another cat after losing Nigel and I didn’t want to become “No More Cats” guy. What I’ve realized, two years after Nigel left us, is that he’s basically irreplaceable. His demeanor, his lack of meowing…heck, his use of the backyard as a restroom so we never had to maintain a litter box…all the things that made him so great as a pet are things I will always compare other animals to. Even though that’s not really fair. So, on the second anniversary of Nigel crossing over The Rainbow Bridge, I raise a glass and toast the kitty that will forever be the “cat standard” in my book, and my heart. Miss you buddy!
