I had to give Walter away. Allow me to explain: Walter is a cat, my pet cat.

For about five years Walter and I have been homies, that is, we’ve lived in the same home. Excluding the month or so when he decided to live off the land.

No, he didn’t come back on his own. My neighbors Rob & Ash used their bulldog’s large metal cage to jail and transport him after they discovered him hunting mice in their barn.

He was in full wild animal mode when I got him home. Granted he was a stray when the Humane Society brought him in and it took him a long time just to learn to sleep soundly. But that day he was a trust-no one, crazy-eyes nutjob.

He was once again a wild-man when it was time to put him in his carrier for transport to his new home.

In between he was mostly a low-maintenance, albeit feisty, pal. He spent some nights on my bed, some by the woodstove, some outside, and some sleeping in whatever closet, window, or bedroom he liked. Dogs seem to have one or two sleep spots, I’m not sure that cats do.

Walter is hugely independent, like a cat. I like that.

He’s in a new home now, and hopefully he’s settling in. It’s a tiny house, a mere mile south of my chair. I’m gonna miss him.