We’d been feeding and sheltering a big gray cat that showed up right before the fires in Gatlinburg, so we named him Smokey because of his color and because we are Tennessee Vol fans. He had plenty to eat with a heated food station and was warm in his heated igloo through the cold winter in South Bend, Indiana. When he showed up with a gash in his throat, we drop trapped him, got his injury addressed, got him fixed, and as many shots as we could and then released him, as he wouldn’t let us pet him. Within a month and a half, I guess I finally gained his trust, and he let me pet him. He has been living in our house full-time now for the last three years with our two 10-year-old females, Sweetness (named after Walter Payton) and Snickerlicious. He is estimated to be about 5 years old, weighs over 16 lbs., and had we known he was going to be ours, we’d have named him Butkus. We didn’t want a third cat, a big cat, or a male cat. We got all three, and we wouldn’t sell him for a billion dollars! He loves my chair, as you can see, and will never have to live outside again!
Patty WaiteSOUTH BEND, IN
