Four years ago, Katy Sherry, 32, walked into the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Hampden, hoping to adopt a pet. The moment she saw Walter, a 16-pound fluffy cat, she knew. "This one; this is the one," said Sherry.
Sherry described meeting Walter as "love at first sight." Her boyfriend, Max Glaessner, 30, was then a dog fan, but Walter unraveled his preconceived notions of what cats were like.
"I basically switched teams from dog to cat and never looked back," said Glaessner. "He has that effect on people."
Walter, 7, is a plus-size cat whose personality is as big as his body type. He loves food and has a taste for the things cats aren't supposed to eat. Once a year, Sherry and Glaessner indulge Walter's palate, and they let him lick the inside of a jelly doughnut for his birthday gift.
In many ways, Walter defies stereotypes — he's agile, known to jump and run around, and prone to leaping from the counter to the top of the refrigerator. He also has a habit of confidently approaching people.
"[There's] a misconception of cats being very aloof and wanting to hide from people. He's the opposite of that. He's very gregarious — always wants to be in the room with people," said Glaessner.
Walter's unique quirks mean he's brought Sherry and Glaessner happiness and many comical moments. His first Christmas with his parents was an eventful affair — Walter tried to eat Christmas lights. Terrified that he'd swallowed a shard of glass, they rushed him to the emergency room. After an X-ray, the veterinarian told them even if Walter had eaten glass, there was so much food in his stomach they couldn't see it and he'd be fine either way.
Sherry and Glaessner no longer put up Christmas lights, and they've also retired another family tradition. In the early years, they would walk Walter around Hampden attached to a hot-pink leash.
"He's kind of like a dog in a cat's body," said Sherry.
Although they no longer walk Walter around the neighborhood, he's so sociable that he still expects to go out. They've reached a compromise to keep everyone happy. "We have a closed backyard now. I'll let him out there in the morning and he sits on the back patio," said Sherry. "He'll just lay on his back in the sun, with his big fluffy belly up."
When Sherry and Glaessner recently decided to expand their family, it was Glaessner's turn to adopt. He briefly considered getting a dog, but since Walter had changed his view, he ended up adopting a cat named Lucy. Walter's still getting used to having her around and doesn't particularly like sharing his toys with the newest family member.
On the days when the two cats have a fight, Sherry and Glaessner have come up with a creative solution: "We had to get a water gun," said Sherry. "We call it the peacemaker."