The village of New Radnor is remembering Fudge the cat after he passed away on Sunday.
In the small rural village of New Radnor, it's a common sight to see cats. Whether they be sleeping on walls, or walking from one end of the village to another, cats have almost become a staple piece of life in the village. One even attended council meetings and treated every house like it was his own. That cat was Fudge, a ginger and white cat who turned up one day as a stray and found himself a home with one of the residents.
He was estimated to be around 16 to 17 years old, but his age didn't slow him down. Residents often found Fudge in their homes, found him sleeping in their gardens, or simply walked by him as he walked from house to house. There was an unspoken rule that Fudge owned the village. Nowhere was out of bounds for Fudge the cat.
On Sunday the 2nd of July, Fudge was found by one of the residents. He wasn't moving. His owners were alerted, and they found that he couldn't stand well on his back legs. The owners took him to the vet, where they were told he had a possible glancing blow from a car. One of his paws was injured.
Despite other vital signs being okay, the vet came back with the bad news after X-Rays that Fudge was in worse shape than first thought. With a heavy heart, the owners made the tough decision to let Fudge go.
Community is at the heart of everything residents do in New Radnor. Whether it be lobbying together to save the local pub, or raising concerns about proposed pylons, people are often looking out for one another. Fudge was a cat loved by all those who encountered him.
After his passing, the owners of Fudge said: "Some of you will have got to know our cat Fudge who lived his best life at our first home, and then continued the good life when we moved back to New Radnor where he thought we owned the whole of Radnor. Thank you to those of you who found him in your homes and got to know him and apologies if he took liberties if you are not a cat person!
"Sadly today his nine lives ran out. A cat that changed lives was a true gentleman and charmed his way into people's homes, and council meetings and even tried to go shopping in Esco's. A huge shout out to all of the homes Fudge wheedled his way into and for sending him back home when he outstayed his welcome. He was the best and we are better humans as a family because of his unconditional love."
Fudge will always be remembered by those who knew him in New Radnor.