Photo collage of a white cat with gray spots covering his right ear, back legs, and tail. Top left is him resting his head on a blue hydroflask. Bottom left he's looking out the window. The right side is a closer one of him looking at the camera.

Dudley was one of the sweetest, most loving cats I've ever met. He was found under a tree at Oak's Park and initially adopted by a friend of mine. Dudley moved in with me in 2008, when he was about 2 years old and scared to death. Although he was technically my friend's cat, he really was my baby. After my friend moved out, I got to keep Dudley (thank goodness, because I would have been heartbroken). I traveled cross-country and back with Dudley and my other cat, Otis, for about 2 years. He drank water by scooping it up in his little paw and lapping it up from there. It was adorable! He was incredibly soft, always by my side, and was very talkative. He loved to snuggle and would even let me lay my head on him during snuggle time. He would just purr and be totally content. He did have a feisty side, as all cats do, but it was always short-lived, then he was back to purring and was just happy to be alive and with me. I had to say goodbye to my sweet boy on September 11, 2023. His kidney disease got the best of him, but he was such a love, even when he was miserable at the end. He lived to be about 17 years old. I miss him dearly. I'm not quite sure if I saved Dudley, or if he saved me. I believe it's a little bit of both.