Our beloved Pericles cat

Today was a horrible day. Today we lost Pericles, our beloved cat. A creature who had been in our lives since March 2008, a rescue cat from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home. Originally called Tommy Boy, we renamed him Pericles, and he joined our family in Trott Street, Battersea (for the first week he hid under a dresser) where he lived until we moved to the countryside in 2016 whereupon he discovered the wide expanse of Hertfordshire gardens.

He was a beautiful cat, with a curate's egg of a personality. He was a cat who loved to be stroked, but only on his terms; he could be aloof, he could be affectionate, he could be a pain and get under your feet at inopportune times.

He would defend his territory with a ferocity that would make a lion jealous, but he was also a cat who would sit on your lap and purr for hours. He was a small tabby, never weighing more than 3.75kg, but he would take on foxes, badgers and tell our massive hound Oskar who was the boss of our house when he arrived to join us from Bulgaria.

Pericles became a part of our family, he became our son's favourite animal, and he was a constant companion to us all. Without him our home has lost a part of its soul.

May the ferryman take you across the river Styx, Pericles. For endless days of sun and warmth in which you can bask in glory.

I will miss you my friend.