Tripod Travels West

Tripod, the three-legged cat, decided to move from the backwoods of West Virginia to the wild forests and mountains of Oregon. Singlehandedly, he arranged for his human family to make the long trek west. It began with a job offer to the chronically unemployed man in the group. Once the man moved west and became established in the job, the rest of the family began to say goodbye to friends and family, gather their things, load up a truck and Tripod and his younger brother, Quadpod, and begin the drive westward.

Tripod refused the sedatives the vet had prescribed, thus better to keep the family on the right roads. He meowed endlessly in the truck, forcing the young woman to put his carrier on her lap and open the top so he could see the highway. Once, in desperation, he broke free of the carrier on the floor and approached the gas pedal. "Put the pedal to the metal!" he demanded in loud meow tones. All three of the people in the cab of the truck responded immediately.

Nights spent hidden in motels were chaotic as the youthful Quadpod danced up the walls and attacked feet with excess energy. Onward Tripod pushed for days on end until the family crashed (literally) into their new abode in the Oregon wilderness.