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Who the heck is Bob?

Well, to make a short story long… Our neighbor’s cat whom we had befriended would come over now and then, and hang out in the yard with us. One day he came to our front door for some treats. In true feline fashion he used us and walked away when he finished eating. However just five minutes later we saw him come back around the corner of the driveway and head for the front door. Then we realized that this wasn’t the same cat, but rather another tuxedo cat that we had never seen before! It came right up to our front door as if unafraid. He was mangy looking, really skinny and simply filthy. This cat looked really weird, like some kind of demon that used to guard the gates of hell before getting laid off for being too scary. He also had a really strange and kind of evil sounding meow. If Freddy Krueger were to try and scare you by meowing, that’s what it sounded like.

Just as we were figuring out that it wasn’t the neighbor’s cat walking up to the door, he came around the corner right behind the scary cat. Best we could figure, the neighbor’s cat went and got his friend to show him where the treats were! We gave this new cat some treats and he ate them like he had never eaten anything in his life. He had an old flea collar on but it was way too tight, so we thought maybe he was abandoned or his owner passed away. Obviously he was someone’s cat because he was friendly, unafraid and kept trying to sneak into the house to have a look around. It’s very unusual for a cat to want to go into a strange house! He was so happy to be fed that he tried to rub against us, but he was so nasty that I didn’t want to touch him! Looking and sounding the way he did, and after deciding that “evil kitty” just didn’t work, I decided to call him “Beelzebub”.

Over the next several days Beelzebub would show up for treats, which we provided, two or three times per day. We got him some real cat food and fed it to him in an old cat dish. He ate it furiously. Not only was he half starved and malnourished, but he had worms and a few fleas. We loosened his collar which he seemed to really appreciate, especially because this was the cause of his evil meow. Yes, it was that tight! Over the next week we fed him regularly and gave him worm medication. We also started brushing him a couple times per day and wiped him down with flea stuff and anti-allergen cloths. He started to gain weight, eat more normally and look better all around. Even his meow eventually changed to something more normal. It felt like a week-long exorcism. At this point we figured that if we were going to keep him around, we couldn’t call him Beelzebub. So in a moment of wisdom and genius, I suggested we shorten it to Bob.

One night I came home from work late, perhaps a bit after midnight. Half way down my street I noticed Bob underneath a parked car, hiding from the rain. I parked my own car at home and walked down the street. Once he realized who I was, he came right out to me, purring and rubbing against me. I called him to follow me home but he stayed there. Then five minutes later he came up to our front door. Linda gave him a midnight snack. He was happy for the company and affection. I got an old bath towel out and made him a bed. He laid down in it, purring and at peace. He probably hadn’t slept on something soft like that in a long time. When we turned out the porch light he went away.

The next day Linda bought a cat bed. That night we put it on the front porch when Bob came for dinner. I pet him for a while (he LOVES being pet all over) and then wiped my hands on the bed to get his smell on it. Once he discovered the bed he went into it immediately and laid down. He was so happy! It was raining harder that night, and he slept there, curled up all warm and happy, the entire night. So Bob had become our new cat, but we had no plans to ever let him indoors. Regardless, he was pretty happy just having a home again.

Bob continued trying to come indoors. One night he sneaked in behind the front door and put on the cutest and most pathetic “let me stay in” face that he could. He was winning, breaking down our will to resist this charm he possessed. I didn’t realize it at the time but he was still using his powers for evil. Well, guess what happened next? Yep, we let him in. Then we let him sleep indoors. Then we let him sit on our lap on the couch. Then we… well you get the idea. He pretty much runs the place now. All hail Bob.


Photos of Bob when he first came to us, and when he became healthy again…



Bob is on it!

Bob loves to lay on things. Anything, really. One of his favorites is paper. If you put some paper on the ground, he’ll come right over and lay on it. Here are a few photos to give you an idea how weird this cat is…