Introducing Bo

Bo is a 10 year-old orange tabby cat living in central Houston.  He is long and lean, weighing 10 pounds. His eyes are green, he has white paws with no front claws, he has a white chest and a marshmallow-size dot on his nose. He is tentative around strangers and slow to warm to new surroundings, but once he has adjusted he proves to be an extremely sweet and loving cat. When he wants attention, Bo will let you know (meow!!). He gets along particularly well with people who have a gentle spirit.
 

Bo's History

Bo was originally adopted by the SPCA as a kitten by a former manager of mine. I adopted him as a 3 year-old in early 1999, when my manager and his wife became pregnant with their first child.  In mid-2000, I took an overseas assignment, so a nice couple cared for him for 8 months. When I returned and went to pick him up, the woman cried! They wanted to have children soon, however, so it wasn't a good time to have a cat permanently.  In 2004, I took care of my sister's cat during her pregnancy. At first, Bo and the other cat hissed and guarded their territory, but within a month they were cohabitating peacefully. After a year and a half together, they were buddies and played like kittens. I have since given the other cat back to my sister, and I think Bo misses the company.

Insight into Bo's personality

Bo likes to sit either on your lap or right next to you. For years, he would not tolerate being held, but he has mellowed in his middle age, and now I can hold him a bit. While a very curious cat, Bo has never been destructive. The worst he will do is gnaw on plastic bags and scraps of paper left out.

Well, actually that's not true -- his worst habit is more of a compulsion -- Bo absolutely cannot resist elastic hair bands. He will seek them out even if they are not in plain view. This was amusing to me until one day he got very sick and I had to take him to the animal hospital. The doctor said that Bo had an obstruction in his stomach, and that he would die if it was not removed. While expensive, I didn't hesitate to agree to emergency surgery. Bo was otherwise perfectly healthy and had years ahead of him.

After the surgery, the doctor showed me 20 hair bands that he had removed from Bo's stomach. He had swallowed them whole! Since that time, hair bands have been on lock down in my house. They remain in a closed drawer, away from temptation. (Post-op kitty pictured above.)

Why am I giving away such a good cat?

Unfortunately, my boyfriend is not a cat person. Moreover, I am moving into his building, and pets are not permitted.  It's a really hard decision for me to give Bo up, but he deserves to live in a home where he is universally adored.

I really want to make sure that Bo gets placed in the right home. What matters to Bo is getting petted, having his space as well, having his food bowl shaken down so he can't see any spots in the bottom of the bowl (the horror!), and having clean water to drink. He comes with a cat carrier, a Litter Maid automatic litter box, a water bowl  and a food bowl with a container that allows food to drop into the bowl. What matters to me is making sure that Bo gets attention, that he gets his annual shots at the vet, and if possible, that he continues to eat Science Diet for Seniors 7+.

Indoor or outdoor?

Bo has been an indoor cat since he was first adopted by my former manager. However, one night he got out and I simply could not find him. He spent the night outside, a declawed cat amongst some mean neighborhood felines. In the morning when I tracked him down, he was perfectly fine. In fact, he ran away from me and I had to catch him! He must have enjoyed the outdoors quite a bit, because as you have read, he enjoys a very cushy indoor life. So, I would think he would be fine with either lifestyle. As long as he was not living on a busy street, I would feel fine with him being an outdoor cat.

Like what you've seen and read?

Send me an email at amanda_anywhere@hotmail.com and we can set up a time for you and Bo to check each other out.

Thanks for taking the time to read this page. Best wishes.