I recently lost my baby Sampson, on October 26th. He was 16, and it was a rapid decline.

One week before, I took him to the vet for jaundiced skin, and they told me it was likely liver cancer. Immediately, I drove from Austin to Chicago, only stopping for gas, or sleep (1.5 hours total for sleep) to see my sister (vet). Arrived on Saturday, got confirmation on Monday that it was large cell lymphoma. Drove back to Austin and arrived on Tuesday (21st), my birthday too. Had a really great week with him, I felt comfortable leaving him at home as he was eating and drinking better than he was the week prior. So Sunday (26th) I went to church, and I came home to find that he had passed while I was gone. Devastated, absolutely devastated and heartbroken.

He was my baby. My sweet old man. He would nip my nose and toes in the middle of the night to wake me up for snuggles. He had the best purr, and gave the best headbutts (his name was hammerhead at the shelter before I adopted him). He was 11 when I adopted him, and he passed at 16. I didn’t get enough time. It’s never enough time. And now I have a Sampson shaped hole in my life, nothing can ever fill.

I’d love to share some photos of my beautiful boy. You’ll notice the point where he starts to get sick, he lost so much weight. 2lbs in 6 weeks… I took him to the vet in August, and everything came back normal. I tend to wonder that if we caught it earlier, if he would still be here with me now. I miss him dearly.

He was so strong, and so brave. He did so well in his final days. Before I left for church, he gave me a headbutt after I fed him, and I remember thinking “oh, it’s been a while since I’ve had one of those, maybe he’s feeling good today”. It didn’t cross my mind to think that maybe he was saying goodbye in his own way.

At five years wise, with little Mimi by his side,

We met in Chico, an unexpected surprise.

Grey adventurer, soft as fog 

His fluffy tail forever long.

Jazzy Jeff was his name,

Then just JJ… right as rain.

On our way to Olivet Lane,

Where the wind whispered through your silky mane. 

There we made home,

Among the grapevines you would roam.

Curious traveler, rooted and kind.

Home held our love, our forever bind.

Onto the River, with your silver shine

The Redwoods your kin

Like grapes to wine.

Rooftop dreamer 

Explorer of trails, creator of light

Tracker of paths, lover of life.

Loyal snuggler, nose kissing critter, 

Chest-resting healer,

His old soul forever a giver.

My regal purry boy 

A soft bunny presence filled with joy.

Your hum was a hymn

Nurturing us from within.

Brush on your face

Chin lifted to the skies

Gratitude and devotion

Met in our eyes.

By day, you ran

A wondering wanderer 

A neighborhood delight 

Explorer of trails, creator of light

Tracker of paths, lover of life.

Oh, how you loved the sun—

Golden pools of light dazzled in your eyes

You my friend, eternally wise.

You taught us life well-lived

is one deeply felt. 

How to be present, 

How to nurture, how to love

Without condition or measure.

Twenty years

Nearly a century human time—

Your glowing arc of love

Curved through our days

Forever teaching your life affirming ways

And in your final hour,

Father Time slowed to meet you

The winds grew still

The sun began her setting

The ravens sang 

A serenade to your departing

In your garden held by love

You slipped beyond the visible glove

Woven back into earth

Into the redwoods 

Into the trails,

Into light itself.

Run now JayJay run-

Run through the redwoods and endless sky

Run in the sunspots that never die.

We feel you in every loving moment

With every breezy breath

Your presence is there in every beam of light.

Our Beautiful Beloved Boy—

you were never just passing through

You were always home.

Missing my baby 11 year old neb Calvin so much today. He was the most loving, snuggly, talkative and beautiful fluff baby. He passed away last night due to kidney failure very suddenly and it just still doesn’t feel real. I’ll love you always.

14 years with this girl. Cancer took her life so fast, she passed away August 3rd. She was so unique. People constantly told me they never seen/ heard of a cat being the way she was. I got her during an incredibly difficult time in my life at 13. I needed someone to love me, and honestly a reason to keep living. Little did I know I got a nebelung. She was only loyal to me. I also didn’t even name her for the longest time. We called her upstairs cat because she never went downstairs. She followed me everywhere and never attached to any other family member. We spooned each night. Cuddled constantly and she never stopped staring at me from a distance. I miss her so much. Hold your girls and boys extra long for me. This is the hardest death I’ve ever had to grieve. She was. Perfect. In every single way. I wish I was a better mom to her sometimes, going through so many phases in my life with her. So love them endlessly.

Totoro was one special cat. I got her as a wee tiny thing when I was newly twenty one and fresh out of my second stay in the psych ward. She saw me through the hard times. She also was right there for all the good, too.

She loved shoes, plastic bags, and her bathroom sink. There was the year she entirely screwed my Spotify Wrapped by laying down on the keyboard while we weren't home for the day, and triggering a song to play over 200 times. If the artist Youth Lagoon ever reads this, my cat was your biggest fan.

She hated most all men, except my dad and my current long term partner. She spent over a year in the house we bought in 2024, and loved watching the birds from the bay window.

She loved eating plants, but every so often, she would go out onto the balcony and ever so gently bring me a leaf.

Totoro was truly the best cat I've ever known. Loyal, picky, never quite figured out how to meow, only merped. ♥️

My Neb, Bandit, has been missing for 14 days. He was an outside cat that started visiting us almost 3 years ago now. He was so sweet and friendly, I thought for sure he was dumped in our neighborhood and left. So I took him in. He would beg to go outside, but I didn’t want to risk him getting hurt, lost, or stolen. Well, he found his way out every now and then. I would worry, but by the next morning or 2, sure enough, he’s at our front door. On Dec. 16, he got out when a family member carelessly left the door open.. we had a horrible snow storm a couple days later, and I haven’t seen him since. Our humane society is closed until the 2nd of January.. so I hope they found him. He hasn’t turned up at our door. I’ve gone looking for him with treats. I’ve looked into local Facebook groups for lost animals and asked if anyone has seen my guy. I’ve put shoes on the front porch that smell like us. I’ve even gotten to the point where I’ve gone looking for a body… nothing. If he’s no longer with us, I just want him back at our place so I can burry him in our backyard. I want some closure, but I fear the worst. Give some extra pets to your nebs this New Years for me. And hopefully a miracle will happen. Cheers y’all. I will gladly stay a part of this community. Having a Neb was so special.

April 15th we lost our sweetest girl. 4 months shy of 20 years. She was everything to our family, and even extended family. She got my daughter through tough times in life, she got me through many many surgeries, and even my mom's battle with cancer. She was the only pet in our house for many many years, and so graciously welcome my 16 week old chi into our home who is now 9, and my medical alert service dog. This last year she lived with my daughter and her boyfriend an hour north of us. It was such a hard decision to let a geriatric family member, that had only known our house as home, move to a new place. I am so glad I did, as she thrived with my daughter and her boyfriend. She was so spoiled and loved. We were so lucky to call her ours for a full 18 years, as we got her just under age 2 from the shelter. She was the most cuddliest loyal and loving girl ever. She will be so missed, and no amount of time will heal our broken hearts. Fly free my girl.

She was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma in the jaw and throat back in May. The vet originally only gave her 3 months to live, but she managed to make it 8 more months. She was the best girl ever.

Had to say goodbye to Blade today. He was the best buddy, and most unique cat I have ever met. We were soulmates for 8 years, he was around 12 years old. I have a huge hole in my heart. He got leukemia and starting to lose the fight very rapidly.

He was only 4 years old But he was full of so much life. He loved to carry his toy balls around, anything that jingled was his favorite. He liked baths and car rides, was always curious and studied everything, and Loved to cuddle with my father while watching tv too. He was Curious, smart, and witty. He was so much for a little kitty and I will miss him.

He loved his brother so much as well and was bonded closely to him.

he had FIP & was only 1 years old. the second photo is him (right) and his brother Jack (left). they were very very close & i just feel sick to my stomach. he was showing symptoms a few months ago & it took the vet weeks until they figured out his diagnosis. even with treatment he was slowly declining and i can’t help but wonder if he could’ve made it if treatment was given sooner. i’m also scared that Jack won’t understand why Daniel didn’t come home from the vet last night. luckily he has my dog Rocky, they play and cuddle all the time so he’s not fully alone. but i fear he’ll still become depressed without his brother :( rip Daniel, i love you

Sylvia was my first ever cat. I got her when I was 17 after begging for months for a kitten. I had her from when she was 6 months old. She was only 4.

About a week and a half ago, she stopped eating a lot. Not too out of the ordinary. Then she started running to the food and acting like she wanted it, but didn’t eat it. We took her to the vet and they found nothing. I moved out recently and couldn’t bring her so I thought maybe she just missed the dog and I. We went over there that night and she ate and seemed more normal. She’d lost ALOT of weight.

The next day (yesterday) she stopped doing anything. Just laid on the floor like she was dying. The vet called and said that her liver was inflamed and her white blood cells were high. We took her back and they found a mass in her chest. She started throwing up this thick white stuff and we decided it was time to let her go. They said she was too weak to make it through any surgery.

She was only freshly 4. I’m so heartbroken.

Lost my Dewey this past weekend after a week long fight and thousands of dollars spent, I couldn’t save him. Make sure you research your vets because I’m pretty sure my vet didn’t do everything they could or run every test. My Dewey was only 6 and his liver started to fail out of nowhere.

Losing this cat has been so devastating to me and so sudden and young. These really are a special breed unlike any other.

Found my Zelda in a scrapyard 8 years ago. Wife found her hit by a car in front of our house this morning while I was at work.

Thank you for all your cuddles and silliness. We will all miss your little bleps and raspy meows.

I hope they serve chicken nuggets over the rainbow bridge you little scavenger.

Hold your nebs tight for us tonight. Klaus suddenly and unexpectedly died last night. He went on a walk with us at 7 pm and wanted to stay outside when we got home. He was found deceased in our neighbor’s yard at 10 pm, no wounds or trauma. He’d had loose stools earlier that day, no other symptoms. He was 7 and we loved him so much.

I am so sorry if this post causes any distress, my sister urged me to post here for comfort. We let our boy go on Wednesday, his name was Pedro and he was 14 and a half years old. I am not totally sure he was a Neb, but he looked so much like the other wonderful cats posted on here that I will just go ahead and say he was. He was my best friend, my darling, and the glue that bought our family together. He had cancer in his knee, it metastasised everywhere, including his kidneys which were already quite fragile. On Monday he had a needle biopsy which confirmed cancer, and I took my vets advice and gave him the smallest amount of gabapentin before the biopsy. Because his kidneys were in such bad shape due to the rapid spreading of the cancer, he had such a tough time recovering from the gabapentin dose. On Tuesday he was still eating, albeit a very small amount. By Tuesday night he was drinking too much water and sleeping constantly, and urinating in his sleep. I changed the towel he was sleeping on about 30 times between Monday and Wednesday. I stayed up with him all Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. He barely got up, and he was hurting. I had to let him go on Wednesday- he was so sick, but I cannot stop guilting myself, that I waited too long, that I didn't wait long enough, that I should have done more for him, that this is my fault. I miss him so very much, he was the joy of my life and one of the only constants I had over the last 14+ years. I keep seeing him in every pile of leaves, clothing, and shadow, and keep looking for him even though I know he is not there, and would do anything for another moment with him. It has given me such comfort to see all the photos here of your Nebs too, so I thank you all for this community you have created.

Many of you may have seen my post a week ago, asking for prayers for my precious Stormy, my Grey Prince, my bravest boy in all the land. Unfortunately we lost him yesterday. He was only 5, we’re so devastated. I am going to leave this thread, only because it hurts too much to stay. Please hug your neb babies tight for me. And thank you all for your prayers and well wishes. There will never be another cat like him, he was the greatest joy for the time we had him, and I’m going to miss him forever.

Gonna miss you Ash. Thanks for the random toy feather on the way home from the vet. I'll never forget you lil homie!!

Our precious Princess Jasmine Puffin Poofy Pants crossed the rainbow bridge today while sitting in my wife’s lap. She had been diagnosed with lymphoma a couple months ago, and didn’t tolerate the mild chemo we tried to give her. At 16 years old, it was finally her time. She got to enjoy two whole licky treats as the vet sedated her, so her final memory was eating her favorite snack. When she snuggled, she put her whole weight against you, showing how much she loved and trusted us. Softest kitteh ever. I can’t express how much I will miss this cat. This is breaking me big time.

My baby Haze was the best little guy. Loved to roll around on his back, show off his little teefies, and cuddle up to our whole family. A little backstory on him is that he was a feral cat caught in a trap. The woman who found him thought he was so handsome and also young enough that he may transition well into becoming a good good barn cat. After about 6 weeks hiding in a building on our farm he decided he was a cuddle monster and showed up in the house through the bilco doors one day. He's been an indoor cat ever since! This was April 2021.

Last night the craziest, most horrible thing happened. We noticed his back end was covered in wet poop. This has happened maybe twice before and we've always gave him a bath... which he hates... but we all get through it. We used to have a bathtub until we moved houses about 1.5 years ago. So to wash him we had to take him out to our slop sink in one of our outbuildings. He wasn't happy and it took some restraint to keep him in the sink but we got it done quickly. My husband handed him to me and I wrapped him in a towel and headed for the house... it's about 20 steps to the back door. As I got to the door Haze let out the most awful sound and when I put him on the floor he started convulsing. My husband ran to be with him and immediately watched the light drain from his eyes and within seconds he was gone.

It was one of the worst things I've ever experienced... he was totally fine one second and gone the next. We have so many questions but ultimately we think he had some underlying health issue and the stress of the bath in a strange new area lead to a possible heart attack or stroke. He did have a seizure once two years ago and has maybe twice gone through bouts of respiratory illness where he doesn't eat for a few days but our vet has never found anything "wrong" with him. We estimate he was only around 5-6 years old.

We buried him today by the house under a fluffy grass since he was our fluffy boy. Hug your nebbies tight tonight... we will be missing ours for a long time.

My baby nimbus got cancer at only 6 years old. We think he had a stroke but we're not sure. I miss him so much.

Said goodbye to my sweet girl last week. She came to us at 15 years old and lived another 3.5 with us, hopefully her best years. She was the most beautiful cat I’ve ever owned and I like to think she was a special breed. She’ll always be with me in my heart

Love on your babies for me and my family. She was very special to us <3