20240416 172645 Tux Backpacking

I had the great fortune of meeting the man that I've heard about from one of the local homeless outreach workers that rides his sport bike along the river trail that also feeds cats downtown. I don't know if he stopped for #Tux or because he saw the sign and decided to read it, but he asked me if I had already fed Tux, as it was obvious that I was here together with him.

We had the opportunity to talk about Tux and what each of us knew about him for the 6-8 months and his history. We discussed the now-gone homeless encampment where Tux, at least one other cat, and a couple of dogs probably spent most of their lives before the cats also became patronless when the homeless people were pushed out at least a few blocks away.

Because I knew this guy would have known Tux, he was the primary (but not only) reason that I put the first sign up announcing that Tux was away getting neutered and that we were trying to find a permanent home for him. Unfortunately this hasn't come to pass since he has to be outdoors because of his urinary-related health problems and we've been unable to find a safe, outdoor, caring home for him to live.

But gratefully this gentleman will be around for the foreseeable future and will be part of the team that helps keep an eye out for Tux and his future here when I move away in the next couple of months. It's reassuring that there are at least a couple of people like this around that care for him and the (many) others in this urban neighborhood. Extremely grateful indeed.