It was the summer of 1995 and the cutest stray kitty showed up on our street. I wish now I had taken a picture of him. But, I didn't. So, I'll try to describe him. He was full grown. A kind of brown and black tabby with the cutest little bad-boy face on him. He would hang out all day and all night across the street under this huge tree in the front of my neighbor's house. It didn't take me very long to get him to warm up to me. I used food and lots of it to get his attention.
Before long, he was my best buddy. And, after a few weeks...he started hanging out at my house and waiting for me to feed him in the morning and when I got home from work. I named him Titter-Tat, but called him Titters.
Well, I'm a firm believer that cats do not belong outdoors and had decided it was time to adopt him as one of my own and bring him indoors to join the other five male kitties. So, I snatched him up one day and took him to Dr. Sanders to have him looked over and tested for kitty virus', etc... Unfortunately, Titters tested positive for Feline Aids and all my hopes and dreams went right out the window. I was crushed and at the same time...very concerned about Titter's wellbeing and future. Some of the neighbors got wind of Titter's condition and I heard rumblings that he wasn't welcome in our neighborhood anymore and some people had plans of scooping him up and dumping him out in the country or something like that.
Well, I let it be known that I wouldn't tolerate anything like that being done to Titters, but at the same time...I honestly didn't know how I was going to stop it. Then, one day...my husband came running in the front door to tell me that a lady walking her child in a stroller had come by the big tree and stopped and yelled, "George! Where have you been? We've been looking all over for you!" And, Titters ran to her and off they went....home! My husband chased her down the street. Not to stop her from taking Titters, but mostly out of curiosity and also to inform her that her kitty, George, had Feline Aids.
You're not going to believe this, but George's owners are "both" vets!!! Yep! And, they had no idea he was Aids positive. Amazing, huh? But, the good news is that George does have a home and from what I can gather...is still living entirely indoors with his family. They live just a couple blocks away, but I don't go visit him or anything. I kinda feel like the grim reaper having been the one to find out George has aids and to be honest...I'm afraid to go there and find out he may have passed away. So, I choose to stay in denial and hope for the best.
But, I miss Titters aka George and think of him often. I hope he's hangin' in there and living a happy life.
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