The adventures of Nelson, a Berea rescue cat
From Brazil to Berea, rescue cat, Nelson's travels and exciting history will be revealed in his owner Nola Mitchell's debut novel, Just Call me Nelson.
FROM the back of a truck in Brazil, to sailing through tropical islands or just lazing by the pool at his cozy home in Berea, Nelson the feral rescue has survived many adventures in his nearly 17 years.
His owner, Berea’s Nola Mitchell, said she never imagined she would ever write a book, but was awestruck when she learned about Nelson’s rich history and decided it was one exciting cat biography that just had to shared. Just Call Me Nelson is the final product.
“It has been a journey for me as well, from life in Africa to the north eastern coastline of Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, beautiful beaches and marinas and back to Durban through storms and squalls,” said she said laughing.
Mitchell said Nelson had come into her life about a decade ago, during a very sad time, after her beloved cat Sammy died. “My husband David felt we should get another cat but I was not having it. One day however, David convinced me he had found the perfect cat for us advertised on the notice board at the vet and of course it had to be rescued from a building in Currie Road.”
Nelson was not the easiest cat to live with and would occasionally viciously bite the hands that had taken him in and fed him. Nola was tempted to return him, but after a lot of advice and perseverance, he seemed to calm down until one day he was involved in a serious fight and had to be taken to the vet. “At the vet we saw a picture of him on the notice board saying he was lost and the owner wanted help finding him. When the owner came to see if it was her cat, I reaslised she was my long lost friend Gill – I thought what a ridiculous coincidence. She called him Gaspar and relayed the story of how he was found as a kitten in the gutter at a marina in North East Brazil by a Cape yachtsman who rescued him and kept him as an extra crew member sailing around the coast of Brazil to Trinidad and Tobago and back again,” revealed Mitchell.
She said while returning to Cape Town the yacht was damaged during violent storms and the yachtsman and Nelson were rescued by a passing car carrier on its way to Durban. “Gill was a friend of the yachtsman and she took care of Nelson when the yachtsman returned to Cape Town. They lived on Currie Road but after being attacked by dogs Nelson disappeared under a block of flats and that was where we found him,” she said.
Mitchell said she knew she would have to become an author just because “this little creature had brought so many people together. The large jigsaw puzzle pieces of his history came together. What would a Berea businesswoman, a Cape yachtsman, a Brazilian truck driver and a Durban campanologist have in common if not for this special cat!”
Just Call Me Nelson can be found at KZNSA Gallery Shop, and the Cats of Durban stand at the I heart Market and Shongweni Market. Contact Nola Mitchell on 083 5602926 or email nolam@mweb.co.za for more information.
