We were staying a week at our camper, closer to the hospital where my daughter was going to give birth. Our grandson was born, and we went back to the camper that evening. A gray, matted kitty kept jumping on my lap to be petted. I'd put him down and he would jump right back up.

We went to the grocery to get him food. He hung with us at our camper for the week, even answering to his new nickname, Waldo. Other cats around wanted to beat him up so he would sleep in our camper each night. We didn't realize the other cats wanted to beat him up because he was a very sick boy.

Then it was time to go home. Waldo followed us to our truck, jumped into the back seat, and became a permanent part of our family.

We took him to the vet and found out he had a severe upper respiratory infection (which explained the other cats wanting to beat him up) and also was FIV positive. He would need special attention at times.

One of them came about 2 years later. He lost half his body weight and we discovered every tooth in his little mouth was infected. We took him to a specialist, who charged us $3500 to remove his teeth. But he was better.

This guy is not the typical cat. He comes, chatting away, when you call his name. He loves car rides. He loves people, and makes sure his presence is known if someone comes to our house. Our other 2 cats run and hide, but not my Waldo!

When we go to our camper for the weekend, we leave the kitties home. When we get home, Waldo acts like he is angry at us at first for being gone, but jumps right up on my lap to snuggle the SECOND I sit down. He sleeps on my pillow, right on top of my head, and gently touches my forehead with his paw during the night.

He has now been with us over 13 years, has hyper thyroid and extreme allergies to beef, milk, rice, fish, just to name a few. We are now making his food and giving him thyroid medicine twice daily, but if it prolongs his life and quality of life, I would do these things forever.

I know the day will come in the next year or two that my Waldo will no longer be part of our family due to his FIV, but I'll enjoy every single minute of this beautiful, friendly, unusual feline that I can. He has brought our home so much joy and love.

Melanie Thompson
SHELBYVILLE, IN