RIP Hero, a very special feral cat.

Hero was our very special & spoiled feral cat. Although he’d wait for Paul everyday to get his meals, he would not let him come close enough to be trapped & rescued. Hero was seriously ill and when Paul noticed his condition was getting worse by the minute, we started to plan ways to trap him.

We were determined to catch him but sadly we ran out of time. The day after we took this photo, he walked away at dusk and never returned. RIP Hero – August 30 2013.

Paul wrote: “I fed Hero every single day since he was a kitten. I brought him food 3 times a day over the last 8 months. Lately, he had become too weak to even walk but he’d come to greet me and get his food anyway.

He used to get leftovers from garbage bins when he was a kitten but since we met, he knew there was no need to struggle anymore! He was always there happily waiting for me, every single day of his short life. He wouldn’t roam or get in trouble with other cats. He could be seen peacefully taking naps under the cars from morning till dusk.

Last time I saw him, he was so weak he could barely stand up but he was determined to do it and so he slowly approached me. That day he came closer to me than ever before. It felt almost as if he wanted to say his goodbyes. He had his last meal, walked away and never came back.

It was time for Hero to cross the Rainbow Bridge. I did not know it by then but he did.

Every night I do my rounds to feed the colonies I pass by his place. It feels and looks so empty! Hero is not waiting for me any more but his memory will live forever in my heart.

Hero taught me about endless dignity that (unlike humans) animals have. He taught me there’s a time for everything in this life: there’s a time to be happy, a time to fight back and then there’s a time to accept your fate and just give in.

Thank YOU Hero! …  I’ve cried so much for you but I’ve learned so much from you as well.