Our  gay cat, Tobi, died the other day. He was an old cat, but we liked him. He and another cat (Stripy) lived an alternative life style.

Stripy died a while before Tobi. They were both old cats. Tobi never quite recovered from the death of his life partner. After Stripy died, he became lonely, and despondent. Tobi didn't care much for people. He enjoyed sleeping on our patio and eating our cat food. If you would attempt to pet him, you would  likely end up with a claw mark in your hand. Tobi wasn't  into allowing people to touch him. He was a gay cat and he loved another cat. He had little or no love for people.

I used to tell my wife that the cat called me names, even after he ate the food that I gave him.
"No gratitude" I'd tell my wife. "We feed  and provide him with a place to sleep. How does he thank us? He calls me names."

My wife replied. "Bill, that cat is just one of God's simple creatures. He isn't calling you names."

I muttered. "Is so…"

It wasn't until after Stripy's death,  that I was finally able to make up to Tobi. I noticed that he'd follow around my  yard.

One day, I took a chance, I reached down and touched him. He stood there and even arched his back while I petted him.

Tobi and I became friends, not close friends, but friends to a place where I could pet him and, on occasion, actually pick him up.

Tobi was lonely, he tried to make up to my other cat Tyger. Tyger let Tobi know that he didn't "swing that way."  Tyger made it very clear that if Tobi wanted to try and get amorous, he'd be met with some very sharp claws. 

I visited with my friend  Harry and told him about Tobi dying.
"I didn't know that you had a gay cat," quipped  my friend Harry.
"Was that Jojo?"

Harry liked stories about Jojo, I suspect that he thought that the name was funny. Whenever I had a problem he'll often say something like: "It was probably that l Jojo's fault."
I sighed, "Harry, Jojo died several years ago." (Harry knew this, but was exercising his selective memory).

Did he get hit by a car?"

"He died from Feline AIDS." I responded.

Harry cleared his throat. "Humph. That's what you get when you have unprotected cat sex."
I laughed. "Feline Aids is a retrovirus, it's spread by bites and scratches, not unprotected cat sex. It's actually called, FIV, Feline Immunodeficiency Virus."

(Jo Jo was a stray.  He seemed to like us and we ended up being the ones to take him to the vet, and spend money on him).

Harry enjoyed bating  me; he'd would often say things just to get a reaction.
"What did you do to that cat to make it gay?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean" replied Harry, "Someone had to do something to turn that cat into a sissy."
"Tobi wasn't a sissy, and I don't think anyone did anything to make him gay. It's just something that naturally occurs in nature. It happens to both birds and mammals."

Harry kept a straight face. "You mean to say that  Jojo didn't chose to be born   that way?"
"Not Jojo Harry, the cat's name was Tobi, and he didn't chose to be gay; he was just wired different."

Harry smirked: "He was wired different alright. He was gay and died of AIDS."
I scrunched up my face. "Harry,  Jojo had FIV or AIDS, not Tobi. Tobi died of Kidney failure.  He was old and his kidneys just shut down."

Harry looked serious. "Too bad. I guess you and Claudia should be commended for taking in abnormal cats."

"Tobi wasn't abnormal, he was pretty much like any other semi feral cat. He slept, he hunted and he loved to play. Even when he wouldn't let me touch him, he'd still chase the light from my laser pointer. He'd chase that light all around my back yard. He enjoyed playing and he enjoyed his cat life as best he could. Toby was a gay cat. but he wasn't abnormal."

Our world is a diverse world, and not all animals or people meet our concept of normal. All creatures, no matter how you define them, benefit from friendship, love and compassion.
Tobi died, he was our friend and we'll miss him."

James Owen, Natural Geographic News. Homosexual Activity Among Animals Stirs Debate July 23, 2004
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/And_Tango_Makes_Three