For over a year now I’ve been feeding a stray cat we named Sylvester. No mystery why — he’s black and white just like the cartoon kitty. He started hanging out with another kitty I named Zorro because he was black and constantly getting into fights. Zorro disappeared but Sylvester stayed. It took nearly a year for him to let me pet him, but once I did, he turned into the most affectionate cat I’ve ever seen. I had him neutered through Happy Strays before deciding to keep him. One reason I hesitated is because of another cat that started hanging out, who we call Brutus. He has to be one of the, dare I say, ugliest cats I’ve ever seen. Golden beige thick fur, with small eyes and fat cheeks and the worst disposition ever. And in recent weeks, it’s been clear he’s also very sick. So I snatched up Sylvester and took him for shots yesterday, fearing he may have caught whatever Brutus has. My worst fears were confirmed when I was told he has feline leukemia. And I haven’t seen Brutus in several days, so it’s possible he’s passed on from illness.  I got Sylvester all of his shots, then had to run home and get my other two kitties to have them tested. They haven’t had much contact, but we had to be sure. They’re fine, so they were immunized for the feline disease.

So now I have a dilemma — keep Sylvester as an inside cat and take care of him as long as possible, or find him another home. The difficulty is that I also have a dog and a doggie door, so keeping Sylvester inside is going to be very difficult. If anyone has room for a loving kitty — he’s about 3 years old by best guess — please let me know. He’s a doll.

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