Kitty Kitty… AKA, Mr. Bud
Some stories change the course of your life.
Mr. Bud’s story began long before he ever stepped foot inside our home. Around the winter of 2016, we noticed a feral cat wandering through our neighborhood. We didn’t see him every day, but often enough that we started putting food out, hoping to give him a little extra help during the cold Nebraska winters.
At the time, he was simply “Kitty Kitty.”
As the years passed, he slowly made our neighborhood his home. He spent much of his time on our neighbor’s front porch, where she kindly allowed us to place a shelter for him. He wandered freely between several houses while keeping distance and relying on us for food, shelter, and safety.
Then one winter, everything changed.
We noticed Kitty Kitty limping. He had lost weight, looked exhausted, and simply wasn’t himself. A brutal stretch of below-zero temperatures—with wind chills approaching -30°F—was only days away. Looking at him, I knew in my heart that if we didn’t help him then, he probably wouldn’t survive.
I had tried trapping him many times over the years without success.
This time, it was now or never.
Just 30 minutes before the veterinary clinic closed, the trap door finally shut behind him. I rushed him to the vet, where he was neutered and treated for his injured paw.
That day we also learned something unexpected.
Kitty Kitty was FIV positive.
To many people, that diagnosis sounds like a death sentence. It isn’t. FIV simply means a cat has a weakened immune system. While many FIV-positive cats can live long, happy lives, it also meant returning him outdoors would put him at much greater risk.
That’s when my son made a decision that changed all of our lives. He offered Kitty Kitty his room and his heart. Kitty-kitty was now 'Mr. Bud'.
We knew taming a completely unsocialized feral cat would take patience—more patience than we could even imagine. For the next eight months, we celebrated every tiny victory. We never rushed him. We simply let him learn that people could be trusted.
Eventually, he allowed us to touch him.
Then to pet him.
Little by little, the frightened feral cat who had spent years surviving outside began to discover what love felt like.
He was becoming a house cat.
He still had his quirks. He was still cautious. But he also became incredibly affectionate—in his own way and on his own terms.
About six months later, another challenge arrived. Due to complications commonly associated with FIV, most of his teeth had to be removed. We worried about him, but like everything else he had faced, he adapted.
Then came something far more frightening.
One day, he suddenly lost the use of his back legs.
We rushed him to the emergency vet, where we learned he had thrown a blood clot. The next 48 hours would determine whether he would survive.
Against the odds…
…he did.
Even more amazingly, he regained the use of his legs.
A few months later, it happened again.
This time, my son took him to a veterinary cardiologist and hour away, where we received devastating news. Mr. Bud had severe heart disease—one of the worst cases of an enlarged heart they had seen.
He was immediately started on medication, and we were warned that even the stress of routine veterinary visits could be enough to send him into heart failure. We were told only to bring him in if it was truly an emergency.
The prognosis was heartbreaking, expected time left was just 2-6 moths. But Mr. Bud had other plans.
My son even found an experimental medication being studied by the most amazing Vet in California,Dr Toman. Between that treatment, his prescribed medications, and an incredible amount of love, Mr. Bud gave us nearly two more years.
Mr. Bud became family.
To my son, he wasn’t “just a cat.” He was his child.
For nearly two years, my son planned his life around Mr. Bud. He postponed his own surgery, skipped family vacations because he refused to leave him behind. Every evening included freshly cooked chicken breast because Mr. Bud decided that was what he wanted for dinner—and, as anyone who knew him could tell you, Mr. Bud usually got what he wanted.
He had gone from surviving outside alone…
…to being deeply, completely loved.
In May 2026, Mr. Bud suffered another medical emergency. The incredible team at the emergency veterinary hospital worked tirelessly to save him. Their skill and compassion gave us something priceless.
Three more wonderful weeks.
Three more weeks filled with cuddles, routines, quiet moments, and the chance to tell him over and over how much he was loved.Then, one final emergency came.
We rushed him back to the hospital, hoping for one more miracle but this time, his tired little heart couldn’t keep fighting. He passed away in the parking lot as we placed him into the hands of the ER vet team.
Our hearts broke that day.
But Mr. Bud left behind something far greater than grief.
He left behind a mission.
People often look at a feral cat and see “just another stray.”
We see Mr. Bud.
We see a cat who never asked to be born outside.
A cat who spent years simply trying to survive because humans failed to spay and neuter their pets.
A cat who deserved warmth.
Who deserved safety.
Who deserved medical care.
Who deserved a family.
And who proved that even a cat who had spent years living outdoors could learn to trust, to love, and to be loved beyond measure.
Mr. Bud is the reason Spaycation Vibes exists.
His story reminds us why Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) matters. Every cat we spay or neuter prevents countless kittens from being born into a life of hunger, disease, injury, and fear. Every community cat deserves compassion, and every act of kindness gives them a better chance to survive.
So the next time you see a feral cat, don’t just see another stray.
See Mr. Bud.
See a life worth saving.
Because every cat deserves the chance to be loved.