It might appear that Tabby’s Place is the best thing that ever happened to Wally.
But really, Wally is the best thing that ever happened to Wally.
Now we just need to convince Wally.
Most cats have no trouble believing they are the best thing that ever happened to themselves.
Most cats assume they are the best thing that ever happened to all selves.
Luna sees her reflection in the water bowl and gasps, “legendary!” Bacon considers himself a blessing to his own kibble. After all, if it is your destiny to be a nugget of meat by-products, it is the highest honor to be consumed by a heroic, debonair celebrity super-genius, which is to say Bacon.
With rare exceptions, cats are true believers in their own international importance. Of course they are the best thing that ever happened to themselves. They are the best thing that ever happened, period.
But every so often, we meet a cat who has hobbled through happenings that humbled him.
And, while humility is an admirable trait in humans, vainglory is every cat’s birthright. So today, we are setting things right for a cat who happens to be the best thing that ever happened to us.
“Who, me?” If you smile in Wally’s eyes, he will look over his shoulder to see if you meant someone else. Surely you are beaming at a cat with perfect symmetry, not the boy with gauzy clouds swirling his left eye. You must be glistening over some pristine kitten, not the rumpled cat old enough to be your grandfather.
Like a good grandpa, Wally — fifteen in cat years, eighty in ours — lets everyone else shine. He is as faithful as a flannel shirt that has held up through many winters, steadfast and un-showy. He is the hearty stew with no trendy ingredients, just taters and rutabagas that warm you up from the inside out.
He sits back while his sister Tuttie twirls, like a rhinestone under spotlights. He purrs with pride as visitors dote on the madcap and magnetic Corduroy, or the inimitable Olive. He assumes he will be overlooked.
He has overlooked his own glory.
But there is a sad history behind Wally’s humility.
Wally and his siblings, Tuttie and Donnie, all started in the same place. Born in a backyard, the kittens came indoors together, spending the next decade and a half with one person.
The same janky genetics gave all three some tummy troubles. They shared the same meals and dreamt beneath the same phases of the moon. But some tragic tide pulled their person’s affection to just two of the three. 
He doted upon Donnie and Tuttie, but apparently treated Wally as little more than a responsibility.
Wally had everything he needed. But, as we have all learned in our own painful ways, you need more than what you strictly “need.”
You can survive on kibble and stability. But to live, you need someone to believe that you are the best thing that ever happened.
And Wally’s true believers were on the way.
When Wally, Donnie, and Tuttie’s person fell ill, the trio tumbled into limbo. They could not return home. But love’s spotlight rarely shines on three elderly, gastrointestinally challenged orphans. Wally and his siblings needed someone with eyes to see their valor and gasp, “you are the best thing that ever happened.”
They were about to get more than they needed.
Two angels, who we shall call only Light and Love, learned of the siblings’ plight. Light and Love did not merely “pity” the cats. They felt a deep admiration and connection to all three. Tuttie made them laugh out loud with delight, all glitter and electric extroversion. Donnie, the Cary Grant of cats, was a cuddle come to life, a lapful of tuxedo perfection.
And Wally! Wally was as wonderful as the promises kept by sun and moon, a cat faithful and true. Behind his misty eye and broken heart was the grandpa who shows up to recitals and tee-ball games even when his arthritis is acting up. Beneath Wally’s “basic” black coat was a heart as wide as the world we want to live in.
Light and Love were on Tuttie, Donnie, and Wally’s side. For the first time, Wally was not pushed aside. And soon, the best thing that could happen … happened.
No, not “the cats got to come to Tabby’s Place.” That is the second best thing.
The best thing that happened is that Tabby’s Place got to love Tuttie, Donnie, and Wally. And that “best thing” just keeps getting better.
While Donnie delights in laps and orange window boxes, Tuttie is the fruitcake of our Lobby, spreading mirth and laughter like maraschino cherries. Neither of them has any doubt they are the best thing that ever happened to the many who hug them.
Meanwhile, Wally is waking up to the dream of himself.
As the melty chocolate heart of our Lobby, Wally gets more kisses than he can count. He is thrilled and bewildered. A recent conversation among Tabby’s Place staff revealed that Wally is the secret favorite of many of us. We each thought we were the only one. We told Wally immediately.
It will take time for the timid old man to believe us.
But when you are surrounded by true believers, true love will have its way. Wally is starting to wonder if he just might be as wonderful as he looks in our eyes. If we keep loving him this much, he just might have to like himself after all.
The happiest things keep happening around here.
Welcome home, Wally.
Update: If ever you made Wally your favorite, now is the time. Our gentle boy has just been diagnosed with lymphoma. His prognosis is hopeful, and we will treasure every day together. I will keep you posted on this most wonderful little man.