I’m the first to admit that “Catso” is a terrible name for a cat.  But, one of our first FIV+ cats arrived bearing this name.  He was a wonderful cat, so before too long the name grew on us.

We recently received a donation to the Linda Fund from Catso’s adopters and this reminded me of this funny boy.

Catso always reminded me of a cat constructed by a 3rd grader out of spare parts: it looked like a cat but the parts didn’t quite match.

• His head and tail were from a tabby cat.
• His eyes and torso were from a Siamese.
• His paws were from a pure white cat.

He also had a folded ear, a huge head and incredibly tough skin.  More than once, the needle pulled off the hypodermic and when withdrawn remained stuck in his skin. We needed a pliers to retrieve the needles.

But Catso was a very sweet cat and loved nothing more than to sit in your lap and be stroked. He quickly became a staff favorite. Looking at him made you laugh and could snap you out of the foulest mood.

We were elated, but sad, when a couple from Connecticut adopted him to join their other FIV+ cat living in an in-home psychiatrist office. His new family told us that he would warm the lap of each patient as they waited for their appointment.

A few years ago they informed us that dear Catso had passed on, after giving them several happy years.

Though he’s gone, Catso continues to bring a smile to my face.