The Walter Story

Walter
was
unexpected.


As are
so many
of the good things
in life.









Saturday, August 11.
I'm at Brixton
in Fishers
recovering from my concussion.

Tom comes home from feeding
the dogs
at The Land
in New Castle.

Helen, says Tom,
I heard a mewing
in the garage
at The Land
and
I found
a little black kitten
hiding in there.

Tom tried to coax him out.
But Koda
(the Rottweiler who caused my concussion)
was scratching to get into the garage
to "see" the little kitty.

And Kitty wouldn't come out.

Smart kitty, I said.

Tom, get me a picture of him tomorrow.
I'll put it on Facebook and we'll find him a home.

Sunday, Aug 12.

Tom brings home
a picture
of a cute little
Tuxedo
Kitten.

I post it on Facebook
and get 3 offers of homes
for him.

(Thanks Tim, Janet and Liz)

Monday, Aug 13.

Tom comes home from feeding the dogs.

Tom walks in
carrying
a cat carrier.
with a sheepish look
on his face.

I've had an exciting day, he says.







I went to The Land.

Our neighbor,
Lee Ann,
came over to talk.
We were chatting
outside
the garage...

when the Kitty
crawled out
under
the door.







Immediately the two dogs pounced on him.

Chased him into the thick underbrush.

I (Tom) was frozen in fear the dogs would kill the kitten.

But Lee Ann leapt into the fray.

She charged into the thicket and yanked that little kitten away from the dogs.

The frightened kitten bit Lee Ann - twice.

Lee Ann screamed.

Twice.

She threw the little kitten into the garage.

Tom
lured
Marshall-dog
into
the house.















And Koda-dog,
the Rottweiler,
ran into the garage!

Oh, no, thought Tom. That's the end of that kitten.

But a few minutes later Koda trotted out - nonchalant.

Tom searched the garage and found an alive and mewing little kitten.

He coaxed Kitten
into the cat carrier

(which he happened
to have with him.
I'm suspicious Tom was already thinking of bringing Kitten
back home).




Well, Tom, I said,
We should get a vet appointment and be sure he's healthy before we find a home for him.

I already have an appointment for 4:15, said Tom.

4:15 Monday and we meet Dr Crow.

Kitten is 4 months old and a boy, she tells us.
He's thin.
He has a tooth mark (about Rottweiler sized) on the back of his neck
and air under his skin on the left side from a bite wound.

And he is adorable,
she added.

As we checked out from the vet,
Tom bought
a bag
of special kitten food.

And he had them file the receipt
under the name,
Walter.

Walter? I ask.

From Fringe, says Tom.

Are we keeping him? I ask.

We'll see, says Tom.



And the two receptionists at the vet look at each other and smile.
They know.

Poor Walter is a scared little kitten.
He's lived the life of Newt from Aliens.
Four months of hiding from big creatures.
Finding food, we know not how.
And water?
During this drought?
Amazing.

And we bring
him
home...

to
a
loving
family.

And
that is
the
beginning...

of
The Story
of
Walter.