davidbowerkingwood

The Arrival of Tomboy

Most of you know the story of Abby Cat and her discovery on the used car lot at the local Honda dealership how after seven years of feline deprivation we had relented and invited a cat to join our family. After that things seemed to go well for a few years but then a boy cat wandered into our lives.

This all started innocently enough when a beautiful black and white cat started hanging around our house. We thought at first it must be a neighbor’s cat and was just looking for more food. We were already providing a second breakfast for some other neighbor cats and so we believed this to just be one more cat out and about looking  for additional food. 

Tomboy with a boyish smudge of grease on his right jaw

As time passed the boy cat, whom my wife decided to call Tomboy, started hanging around even more and we were beginning to experience some cold nights. Being a softy when it comes to animals, I fashioned a little shelter out of some cardboard boxes and some towels and an old shag rug. It turned out Tomboy seemed to appreciate the shelter and started spending the nights in the box. In addition Abby Cat had started noticing this cat that was hanging around the outside of her house more and more.

Abby Cat Watching Tomboy

That began to raise some serious suspicions that Tomboy was a legitimate stray and might be looking for a forever home. As time passed our convictions grew that this was the case and I started becoming concerned about Tomboy’s well being. Conventional wisdom suggests that male cats may have shorter lifespans because of their natural inclination to roam at night and that ran directly contrary to my growing concern for his well-being.

A Big Transition for All of Us

We definitely had mixed emotions about bringing Tomboy into the house as several considerations immediately surfaced in our thinking. The first was Abby; she had been an only cat every since she was just a few weeks old and we were concerned how she would adjust to Tomboy sharing rulership in her kingdom. After all she had enjoyed the exclusive use of two staff members and absolutely no competition from anyone else.

The other side of that coin was the distinct possibility that this might provide a playmate for Abby and could potentially brighten her life in a way that was beyond the ability of her staff. We knew that if we brought him in he would have to go to the vet for the usual assortment of vet inspections etc but we decided to go ahead and take the plunge. We took him in to the vet on January 24th for the full treatment and picked him up on Saturday morning, the 26th and brought him home.

Their First Encounter

Abby Cat is a very cautious girl and does not tolerate change or visitors very well. Any time the doorbell rings she runs under the bed and won’t come out until all the visitors are gone. We were very curious how she would react to a loud bawling cat (Tomboy did not like the cat carrier). We set the carrier down on the floor and left the door closed initially to see what would happen next.

Abby Cat was totally fascinated by that loud cat in the carrier and she came up and stuck her nose right next to the cat carrier’s door. Tomboy was probably still recovering from surgery and didn’t seem too interested in Abby Cat who was alternately hissing and overcome by curiosity.

Abby Cat Sees Tomboy Up Close

 The next step was to open the door and let Tomboy out; I’ll have to admit to slight feelings of apprehension as we were unsure whether Abby would run under the bed or stand her ground; she stood her ground as the next picture will show.

Notice the Slight Lean Away from Abby Cat

It was to take about three days before Abby Cat finally began to accept Tomboy and now they are developing the playful relationship for which we had hoped. Tomboy has made an admirable adjustment to our household and offers his own unique personality as enrichment to our family.

Tomboy has accepted certain responsibilities around the house and contributes to the household chores as any good boy should.

Tomboy Helping Me Write My Blog

Tomboy on Guard Duty

Don’t let me give the impression it’s all work and no play; there’s no telling what is going on in two kitty minds here.

Abby Cat Peeks Around the Corner at Tomboy

Tomboy Must be Asking Himself why is that Cat Following Me?

This was What we had Hoped For

Tomboy has a personality all his own and brings a lot of sparkle and life to our household. Abby Cat has begun to really enjoy him and they are playing together more and more; all this in a week and a half, thank you Lord.

Tomboy Bower

It’s 4:40 AM Friday morning as I publish this and Tomboy is on the floor behind me purring.