Bob the Cat...

Since then, she has been to the vet for a check-up (I'll never forget the look on her face when she got the thermometer stuck up her bum), and has grown from 400g to 1.1kg (as at 4 June 95).

Bob will eat anything, but Vegemite toast is her favourite. Her favourite toy is her ping pong ball, and her favourite activity is destroying the furniture. She lives by her own set of Cat Rules.

Bob is now a burly 1.6kg, and has since been to the vet a second time. The Popeye look with the thermometer was just as funny this time. The vet said she was doing really well and has lots of personality (we think that Bob is just a psycho).

Bob had her first cat fight the other night (and survived!). We were just settling down to a cup of tea when we heard a terrific noise in the back yard (kinda like two chainsaws in battle). Deb bolted out the back door, I bolted out the front, a big grey cat bolted over the fence, and Bob bolted inside. Bob was doing her impersonation of a brush tail possum (tail all fluffed up), but was uninjured. One of life's lessons had just been learnt.

Bob has now cracked the 2kg mark, but obviously has a long way to go as her coat still looks about two sizes too big. This is Bob relaxing in our bed.

She was feeling a bit humbled as she went to the vet the other night. She realised that she is not the biggest cat in the world when she was introduced to Rumpole, a big old grey moggie who was very quiet and gentle, but who's sight sent Bob into a very shy spell which is most out of character. This is Bob engrossed in her latest hobby, chasing the sink mice.

Bob in an adventurous mood.

(The birds chase Bob out of the trees!)

Bob's latest trial of life has been coming to grips with the newest addition to our family, Riley the dog. Riley is a toy poodle who has shown much affection to Bob which has tested her patience greatly.

Bob has had a tough couple of months of growing up. While Riley went to Grandma's while we holidayed in Queensland, Bob had to go to "Camp Krusty". She coped pretty well with being cooped up for 10 days, but lost a bit of coat condition, and developed a case of cat acne. After a week back home she was back to her normal self, until... three days before she was booked to go in for desexing, she came into season! Well, she disappeared for hours at a time, took to singing at the door, and did such a good job of generally tarting around, that she even had Riley interested.

It is now two days after Bob's little zipper operation, and she is still walking around very tentatively. But she is eating very well now, and is able to jump up onto the bed again, so we are looking forward to a full recovery. Of course Riley will be back from Grandma's tonight, so things might get a bit hairy again. I'm sure she will cope.

Bob receives her first email!

Date: Tue, 30 Jan 1996 14:47:11 EST
From: CCTQ78C@prodigy.com (SANDY THOMSEN) To: rmeurone@pcug.org.au
Subject: Bob
X-Status: 

     Dear Bob:
     Please tell me all about yourself. Do you have a boyfriend? 
     How do your fellow cats feel about you being friends with a dog?

      Glenn Byrnes.

It has been nearly four weeks since Bob lost her "little brother" Riley.

Bob has been very brave for us during our sad times. As much as Riley hassled her, she seems to miss him too. No longer content to sleep alone in the laundry, she has taken to scratching at the door at ungodly hours of the morning. As annoying as this is, it is comforting to have her snuggling up to us in bed.

On a lighter note, Bob has been busy socialising with her neighbourhood pals. Bellamy (Bella for short), a long haired tortoise-shell, lives next door and has been good friends with Bob since she moved in last year. Gingy, from the next house down has similar but darker colouring to Bob and is a little bigger. He seems very shy and doesn't seem to hang around much. Bear from two houses the other way is dark brown, about the same size as Bob, and is far from shy. He is quite happy to join Bob for a sunbake on the back deck.

For over two months now, Bob has coped with her new "brothers" Ryka and Byron. She now has free access to the house overnight while the boys sleep in the laundry. She has a bad habit though, of hogging too much of the bed, and getting up too early.

To amuse herself, Bob has taken to "Plug Hockey" in the bathroom. She will pull the plug out of the basin full of water, drink the water out of the plug, and then throw it onto the floor to kick it around.

Bob has also taken it upon herself to be the official inspector of works for our garage which is being built in the back yard. She is often to be seen casting a watchful eye over the work in progress.

It seems that Bob has risen to the position of "Top Cat" in our neighbourhood. Bob has been seen seeing Bear off the property, and Bella from next door is spending much less time in our yard. We are very proud of Bob's achievements.

Over the past six months, Bob has grown into a wonderful adult cat. She weighs in at about 5kg and has a beautiful silky, thick, winter coat. She has been very patient with the two dogs even if she has lost part of her territory. Ryka and Byron have taken to chasing her out of the back yard. She has learned to go around the area, but still takes the opportunity to check if all is okay when the boys are inside.

Bob's sleeping habits are varied. She usually starts of the night curled up on the computer chair, then as the temperature drops, she makes her way into our bedroom and gets comfortable on the waterbed. Here she has become quite an obstacle to a good nights sleep. She is a chronic heat seeker and usually snuggles right up to us, making rolling over in the bed a matter of strength and determination. Bob has learned to cope with being tossed from one end of the bed to the other.

Bob's influence on our lives is strong. She is a calm, stabilising infuence on our lives in an otherwise chaotic household, and her occasional crazy mood reminds us of the importance of a sense of humour.

Stay tuned for more updates as Bob develops into a fully grown battle-cat.

Sunday, 17 September 2006

Well, it has been a long time since we updated Bob's web page. Unfortunately, two days ago, our friend Bob passed away suddenly.

Bob was 11 years old, and was starting to show the effects of her advancing years, but was still a very healthy, beautiful and affectionate cat. She was a much loved part of our family and will be missed greatly. Rest in peace.