Bogie was a big gray barn cat who had spent his several lives outdoors. Lissa inherited him when she bought a country place twelve years ago. Suffering from neglect and feline whooping cough, he had such a runny nose that she called him Booger. Lis promised to give him another name when he recovered.
The Patron Saint of Sick or Injured Animals
Lissa administered antibiotic shots and nursed Booger back to health, whereupon she changed his name to Bogie.
When he refused to go with the other cats and dogs to the new place, I had an idea.
"He wants to be an outside cat," I reassured Lissa. Convincing her that a neighborhood with dogs on either side of the backyard fence would be dangerous for him, I offered to let him stay here. He could be cozy down in the outbuilding with the cat door. He could have his dry food feeder there and catch mice who would come to steal it. Best of all, he would have plenty of land to roam.
Bogie must have gotten wind of the offer, because he let himself be put into a cat carrier and brought here. It was late August. When the weather turned cold, I planned to coax him to come in the house. Hah!
Not Quite Mr. Outdoors
Since arriving, Bogie has never voluntarily gone outside. A few times, I put him out the front door. He quickly made his way to the back deck, where he gave me a hurt look until I let him back inside.
At first, the girls, Iris and Oreo, hissed at him as if their virtue was in jeaopardy. It wasn't. Where they spend their days and nights being let out or back in, Bogie avoids even being near an opened door.
This morning, it's snowing. Bogie is curled up in front of the fire, utterly content. When it is sunny, he will get up to relocate when the sun moves to another spot on the carpet.
A great cuddler, he stealthily creeps between me and my book. Bogie likes my evening movie the best, when my lap is free for him to occupy fully. Even though I have to get up repeatedly to let the other cats in and out, Bogie comes right back as soon as I'm settled. He really is a sweetheart, well-groomed, well-behaved and blessed with a hearty appetite.
I send Lissa emails about Bogie's wild outdoor adventures, which happen in his dreams.
