He would be invisible, this solitary figure pedaling ahead of me on the highway were it not for the several sets of glowing eyes caught in the reflection of my headlights. As he stops to rest under a street light, I pull over and quietly observe the contents of his baggage. Inside two beat-up carriers ride several adult cats. Perched precariously on top of the two carriers is another smaller carrier with only one occupant. He moves off into the darkness and I follow.

He stops under the overhanging of the local bank and props his bike along the wall. I take a quick glance at my emergency box I carry. I have several tins of cat food, some dry kibble and some water. I pull over park, pick up the box and walk over hesitantly. I want to see his cats, but I don’t wish him to feel threatened. As I move closer, I reel back from the stench. Those poor kitties are living in filth.

He looks at me suspiciously as I approach and I hold the box before me as a peace offering or a shield, I am unsure which. He is new in town as I don’t recognize him. Two cardboard signs are bungee corded to the sides of the bike. One says “Jesus Saves” the other “Need Food.” Strapped between these two messages are the cat carriers and several boxes of crushed Meow Mix.

I ask him his name and he tells me “Todd.” When I ask his last name, he holds his fingers up to his lips in a shushing motion and whispers, “Can’t tell you- CIA.”

I smile and cautiously peer into the bottom carrier. Five kitty faces are faced against the wire. I see a long-haired tortie, a mackeral tabby, a golden boy and the others are obliterated in the darkness of the carrier.
My heart sinks. In the top carrier rides a lone black cat, for some reason she gets to stay by herself escaping the crowded conditions of the carriers below.

I leave my offerings on the nearby stoop and back off. The man approaches angrily and takes the bags tossing them into the street. He sneers at me and I am frightened. Here I am in the middle of the night on the edge of town with someone who doesn’t have full mental capacity. I keep backing away slowly It is time for me to leave.

As I drive away, I wonder about Todd and where he came from. What circumstances put him into a situation where he is homeless and sharing his life with seven felines? In the rearview mirror, I see him again settle down to the ground. The cats I am sure are smelling the food they will never be entitled to eat.

I see him later around town with the black cat allowed a bit of freedom on a leash strapped to the bike. The police, now well aware of his presence and the fact that he is gaining so much attention with his feline passengers quickly set out to drive him away from the area. I spoke with one of the officers describing the deplorable conditions these cats have to live in, but he was more concerned with the man stopping traffice and creating a nuisance then he was for the feline prisoners. His response- “They have food and water, therefore they are not being abused. After all, they are just cats!”

I saw Todd one last final time during a bad rainstorm. He had pulled off under a bridge and had taken his black cat out attaching her leash to his bike. I watched as she strained vainly against the leash in an attemp to escape. She seemed to prefer a mad dash into traffic instead of this nomadic life. In my heart, I wished for the leash to break so she could escape. As I drove away, my face was as wet as the pavement ahead of me.