Tubby

I've got to face it... Tubby isn't coming back...!

Tubby... Fuzz Bucket... Fuzz Butt... Fur Face... Tubastian... Snuggle Bunny... Tubster... has left us! (Maybe it was the awful nicknames that drove him away!)

He came into our lives in December 2006. He was hanging out at a house across the street, sleeping in a flower pot and looking in their windows longingly during their dinners. Our neighbors knew we were looking for a new cat, and so we tried enticing him over. He'd have none of our cans of tuna (he ate it, eventually, but not willingly), but came right over for the cheapest box of dry food money could buy. He was so hungry and so skinny, he hardly chewed, and he snuggled right in with us. We decided to keep him around, but not inside... We tried that out, and let him back outside after he leaped on top of the piano with the greatest of ease. So we let him sleep in the bathroom during that winter to keep warm, and would often find him in the mornings, sound asleep and spread out in the bathtub. He also put on quite a tummy that winter - so we named him Tubby.

He loved sitting with Dad with a blanket over them, and liked sitting in between legs on a recliner, or even propped up to 'watch' TV with us. He enjoyed snuggling in bed with me in the mornings after Mom left for school and before I got up. He often 'helped' Mom grade her papers by sitting all over them. This summer, he spent a good deal of his time in the yard keeping Mom company. If she was in the backyard, so was he, sitting among the flowers. If she moved to the front, he snuggled into 'his' camp chair to enjoy the evening. He loved being around us, and was a nice person to have around.

Where he's gone, who knows? Hopefully he just decided to move on to another house, or was carried off by someone who will appreciate him for the nice cat he is. We'd gladly take him back if he finds his way! I'll miss his nose prints on the front door, looking in the back windows, jumping up on the car, scratches, playing with bugs, and trying to keep him out of the house when getting the groceries in. I'll miss snuggling with him, taking pictures of him, watching him humor Zoey and try (unsuccessfully) to get into Regina's stash.

I'll miss you, little buddy! Come back any time!