Nelson’s a legend in his own 11 lifetimes
IF cats do have nine lives, then Nelson has lived every single one of them to the full.
He’s been a passenger on a delivery truck in Brazil. He’s travelled to and from the Caribbean and to South America as a yachtsman’s right-hand cat. He’s been marooned and rescued at sea. He’s survived dog attacks and living on his own under a Durban building. He’s even undergone a name change from his original, Gaspar.
Nelson might be old, 17, and possibly on life number 11 or 12, but he’s as feisty as he’s always been, his owner Nola Mitchell said this week.
“We thought he had lived his nine lives a little while ago, but he’s obviously got one or two left.
“He got very sick . . . and spent some time at the vet. But he rallied. After that he had a big fight with another cat, and survived that,” said Mitchell.
But Nelson was not always the perfect pet.
“He’s a very difficult cat and nearly ended up at the SPCA a few times,” said Mitchell.
“He’s not very affectionate; he’s not one for jumping on your lap or wanting to be cuddled.
“He’s individual and can be quite aggressive. We suffered a number of bites. He would just tolerate a little pat or stroke, but it had to be short and sweet. But he’s certainly a character cat of note.”
She puts this down to his tough upbringing.
From what Mitchell has found out, Nelson was born in the port town of Cabedelo, Brazil. He was transported on the back of a truck to a neighbouring area. There, it is believed, he was orphaned after his cat family was attacked by a pack of dogs. Nelson hid in a gutter where he was found by Cape Town yachtsman Bob Hayward, who took him in.
Hayward and Nelson (who was named Gaspar at the time) began making trips to Trinidad and Tobago, and back to Brazil. Eventually, Hayward headed for home and took Nelson with him.
But on their way, in February 2001, two storms lashed their yacht.
“They lost the mast and the yacht was badly damaged. They were drifting. They didn’t see another ship until a car carrier arrived. They had been adrift for 40 days,” said Mitchell.
On March 21, they landed in South Africa. But instead of Cape Town, they docked in Durban.
By this stage of Nelson’s already hectic life, he had not yet met Mitchell. Instead, he was living with Jill Indrio, coincidentally an old friend of the Mitchells. When two rescue
He would tolerate a pat or stroke, but it had to be short
dogs were brought into Indrio’s home, Nelson upped and left.
That was when, in 2008, Mitchell’s husband found him in the basement of a building in Berea, Durban.
During a visit to the vet, Mitchell noticed a “Missing Cat” poster with Nelson’s picture on it alongside Indrio’s phone number. It led to Mitchell and Indrio, who had known each other from years before, meeting up again, and with Mitchell keeping the cat.
“We became firm friends. We even happened to be in San Francisco at the same time on holiday and spent time there together.
“When I left we said we’d get in contact . . . but years went by, she got busy and I got busy. We hadn’t seen each other for 25 years,” said Mitchell.
One morning, Mitchell decided that the cat’s story needed to be told. Just Call Me Nelson is available at the Durban and Coast SPCA.