SHIELDS!!!
We had Toledo since right after Hurricane Katrina. He was under my studio, and when I was vacating it he made his presence known. He was a beautiful kitten- he looked like one of the purebreeds in one of my daughters cat books. I asked around and nobody claimed him, so he went home with us. He lived with us peacefully until the January evening he disappeared.
After about a day I was starting to worry, because the cats are always there like clockwork. I asked around, but nobody had seen him.
My worst fears were flamed when I learned later in the year through friends that a certain neighbor had been killing my cats. Two others besides Toledo had been killed or not found. (Please see Chewey's Memorial Page) I figured he was a victim of murder.
It haunted me. He was so friendly and trusting he would make an easy target for a sick mind.
More time passed and we found ourselves in mid December. We were going to work and it is dark when we leave. I went to feed thecats and a dark lanky figure started up the steps. I somehow knew it was him, although we have several other dark colored cats that sometimes come up and eat with our cats.
He let me pet him, and he was as sweet as ever. He ate a little, and it was time to go to work. I was so happy to have seen him again! Later that night he came back, and I brought him inside (The Beece diddn't like that too much!) and he ate like a chowhound and slept like a log.
The next day we went to the vet and got his shots and neutered. He was definately a tom cat! His face had gotten much much rounder, and he had double chins. My husband was really perplexed by these. "What the heck are those things??!!??" We looked them up and it turns out they are a secondary puberty characteristic called 'shields'. My husband called him "Shields" and that stuck. So now he is Shields, formerly known as Toledo, back home with his rightful family--- and not dead!
