Spotlight: Permanent Cat 3/6 - BOBBY!

His full name is Bobby "The Brain" Heenan.  Yes, it was intentional, following Dusty Rhodes.

I wish I could remember the exact time we got Bobby.  It was a few months after we took Dusty in, but it was before I got really into Facebook or things like that, so I have no real record.  It was most likely October or November of 2007.  There were a lot of stray cats outside our apartment building, but most were skittish so we didn't think about it much.  This cat had come up to us a few times, and one day, it was really cold and I think it was raining.  I was walking back to the apartment after work and saw him, he came right up to me and started rubbing up against me and wanting attention.  I scooped him up and brought him inside.  Thankfully it was just my husband, our roommate wasn't home.

We were going to find a shelter to take him to, but in the meantime, we would keep him inside.  For the first few days, when our roommate wasn't home or was sleeping, Bobby would get to wander around our bedroom.  If the roommate was around, we kept Bobby in the cat carrier and in the bottom of the bookcase.  This was before he learned to meow, so it actually worked.

We finally called the Yonkers Animal Shelter and they straight up told us that the shelter was full and if we brought him in, they would put him to sleep.  So we basically told our roommate we would keep looking for somewhere to take him, and he just kind of stayed.

Bobby has changed the most over the years we've had him.  For the first few years, he was just kind of always there; he didn't have much of a personality.  The most we understood about him was that he could balance on his back legs for long periods of time (as in the picture), and that he had to learn how to meow, in which he sounded like a kazoo for a long time.  We were willing to give him to anyone who might want to adopt him and we almost did at one point, I'm glad we didn't now!

When we moved into our last apartment and it was just 3 cats again, I don't know what prompted it, but Bobby changed.  He was seeking attention, he would voluntarily come over for pets, he started playing games with us (we play tag with him!) and he turned into a genuine love bug.  I don't think I ever heard him purr until this.  He fell in love with me and started learning my bedtime routine, waiting for the bathroom for me, then coming and sitting in bed with me for a bit.

Bobby's name has made him what we call "a furry little punchline."  We make all sorts of jokes, like if Bobby was a politician, he'd be Lobby Bobby, things like that.  In reality, Bobby is probably the best cat we have right now.  He has perfect litter box habits, he never gets in trouble, he plays with the other cats, and he's just a very sweet kid.  We also have "Uncle Bobby's Daycare," because he's always very good with kittens and loves having new playmates.  Bobby doesn't seem to like when a lot of people are over; I don't think he's shy, I think he just doesn't like the noise and commotion.