One day I overheard the nut jobs discussing my release!! I was to be set free, finally! I was excited but at the same time,  I surprised myself by being scared!..me!!!!!scared!..no way!!! bring it on,  lets go...but I didn't really want to go! I realized that after a life of hardship I was now safe,  my life on the street sucked, I had never really even slept properly..street cats have to be ready to face danger ..we never really rest!..I didn't want to be hungry again and either too hot or too cold!...I didn't want to sleep on the ground! I didn't want to be dirty and matted and have sore skin.  How could I tell them that I didn't want to go back!..but it was over! I was being tossed out like the garbage!. I was pretty pissed actually!!..who does that? gets you all fixed up and comfy and then just throws you back out!  But who was I to think that it could be forever!..I was just a beat up old guy who hissed a lot with a sucky virus!  Who was I to think that this new life could be mine..why that was just pie in the sky.  So life in lala land was coming to an end.  No one else to blame except myself!.. I kept hissing at them!.. oh heck why did I keep doing that!!!...although I hadn't done it in a while!.. I wondered what I had done recently that was so bad that warranted them booting me out. The morning of my release came and I was dreading it....I hissed and swatted a lot,  good behavior wasn't going to help me now. .They came to open my cell but I didn't see the plastic box they call a carrier, all I saw was big dudes hands wearing a pair of heavy duty gloves! coming in to get me!..what the heck is this I thought..are they just gonna dump me outside to fend for myself in this god forsaken place!.. gonna be released in the  desert!...Oh hell no!...I resisted,  I hissed big time but the mad hatter is strong and he got me!...he got me good! I was a goner!  I closed my eyes fearing the worst and expecting to feel the scorched sand under my feet!..yeah yeah!.  I know I can be dramatic at times!..in an instant I was down!..my eyes sealed shut, I was  afraid to open them, but I did,  he had set me free! not free in the wilderness but free in a large area with strange objects called "cat trees"...and big windows "..you see I do know what I'm talking about...curiouser and curiouser!..what is this I says to myself as the big dude (aka Mad Hatter) set me down, I was still hissing and probably scared some of the other inmates..nevertheless one came over to check me out!..but never fear Lionheart the brave was ready I hadn't forgotten my old skills ..I know how to defend myself I braced myself ready for a fight to the death!...well dawg gone it...that dude gave me a quick sniff and walked off!  So my life took another turn and I have to admit I felt truly happy. I was now what they call.."A special needs cat"...yup I even got to own a title!!..Lionheart the Special Needs cat!...Occasionally the dude and his wife take me for a ride in their car to the vet...this damn virus thing  FIV makes me cough sometimes and I need medicine. Plus I have been having some issues with my eyesight...they tell me it's glaucoma  and I have to have drops in my eyes. But  all in all life is good and I have made friends!.. I never had friends on the streets  it's tough to survive out there you gotta  show the others they can't mess with you!...but it's different here no one's gotta fight over food or a place to sleep, I found myself wanting to say thank you to Alice and the Hatter...Debbie and Randy are their names!. ​

LIONHEART'S STORY (IN HIS OWN WORDS)

My name is LionHeart.  A week ago, I had no name.  Boy, a lot happens in a week!  I really can't remember much about my past.  What I do know is that I ended up hanging around a bunch of homeless cats in an alley (talk about the stereotypical 'alley cat').  The life of an alley cat is hard, always fighting over food and women, and that's how I ended up with a virus.  I didn't know it was a virus but I began to feel really bad: my mouth hurt a lot and then my darn teeth began to fell out.  Well, bad enough I'm feeling weak and tired, now I'm having trouble eating.  I guess I began to look like crap as the guy who had been feeding us decided that I needed help.

Well, the night the trap clanged shut and I was trapped, I thought I was a goner.  That was only just over a week ago and it seems like it was eons ago.  So the "hoomans" have me now.  I ended up in a small prison cell to begin with, but now they have given me better accommodations and I have a 2-story cell/condo with a view of absolutely nothing...sand, sand, and more sand.  A crazy couple seem to fuss over me a lot.  I hiss at them periodically just to let them know who is boss.  That's when they noticed I had no teeth...they made a point of discussing that.  The food is pretty good in this joint...in fact, it's downright delicious, and plenty of it.  They took me out a couple of times to see a person they called "The Vet".  The first vet decided she couldn't handle me.  Well, I was being kind of obnoxious, but I felt like crap and she was trying to poke and prod at me.  So, FORGET THAT!!!  They did, however, stick a needle in me and, guess what, that sucky virus that was making me feel so ill is called FIV.  The crazy couple thought I might have that but they don't think it's going to be a big deal now that I am their captive.  I also got another needle stuck in me...they said it was going to make me feel better, it's called an antibiotic.  Whatever, I guess it works because I am feeling better.

All in all, it's been a very interesting week.  I don't know where the hell I am.  It's pretty quiet around here.  A couple of dogs came into my cell block to visit me, but they don't bother me, they just come in and check me out.  I overheard them saying "The crazy couple have saved another one".   

Well now that I'm feeling better, I'll keep you updated on my crazy new life.

ADDENDUM

Just after finishing this blog, the 'crazy man' told me he was going to bathe me.  I can't imagine what that is...I'll update later.

LATER...Good lord!!! You have no idea what just happened.  They had the audacity to plunk me in a vat of warm soapy water (to tell you the truth, it felt pretty good).  I tried to be good and not struggle for fear of drowning, but the 'crazy' dude had a pretty good grip on me.  Oh well, this just keeps on getting curiouser and curiouser.  I think from now on I'm going to call The Crazy Couple "The Mad Hatter and Alice".  Stay tuned.

Yours truly,
LionHeart