Russell Crowe paid a touching tribute to the cat he rescued for his mother in 2003.
The Gladiator actor mourned the passing of the animal on Twitter. Crowe explained that seventeen years ago, his mother expressed her desire for a cat; he was against the idea because cats are the "notorious enemy of bird life." However, while training for Cinderella Man, fate had a different idea for Crowe.
While on a bike ride with friends, Crowe took a brief breather, only to hear meowing in the forest. He set off through "the rain forest" which was "thick with ferns and vines" until stumbling across a kitten.
The point of the story... that kitten, called Cinders ( Cinderella Man ) died yesterday.
— Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) June 10, 2020
She had never grown to be fully trusting of humans, but, she loved my mum and my mum loved her.
Fairly aggressive with dogs and others, but she never scratched me. I took that as gratitude. pic.twitter.com/WShQH4Sv8P
Crowe, realizing that the kitten was all alone, put it in his backpack and kept riding. He returned to his mother with her new surprise and described her reaction as "floored." They named the kitten Cinders, in honor of Cinderella Man bringing them together.
When his friend saw the kitten in his backpack he said, "I thought you said no cats? Crowe replied that he believed the universe was giving him a sign and telling him to respect his mother's wishes.
Cinder passed away on June 9th; Crowe said that "she loved my mum and my mum loved her."