“Hobbs is not my first kitty,” Betsy says. “Actually I’ve had many kitties. As a child, I always had a cat in my arms or on my lap. I had a string of cats named Tarzan – from the TV show. I guess that dates me! We’ve had as many as six cats at one time, but now we only have two. We also have a dog, Sadie.

“My cat, Addie, was a rescue five years ago. She is shy and very sweet … a precious tabby. Hobbs, who is 10, is her complete opposite. Not shy with us, but with others, he’s a bit on the wild side at times. He’s lovely, very affectionate and resembles a large yellow and white fluffy ball. He has no canines, and when he’s feeling especially affectionate, he drools a little, which is sort of sweet.

“While Hobbs and Addie are still adjusting to each other, 95% of the time it’s very easy. Every once in a while, though, Hobbs will get into a bit of a flutter and ‘go after’ her, but she handles it very well, and has learned to recognize that ‘look’ in his eyes. Sadie, our dog, gets along all of the time with both cats. I think Hobbs must have lived with dogs in his former home.

“Hobbs likes catnip, wands with feathers, and he has a few favorite toys. Picky about food, he prefers homemade food, like chicken and turkey, to canned soft food. But he will eat dry food and he absolutely loves the wet food in the tube.

“Hobbs sleeps in different places at night. He and Addie take over the house when we go to bed. Hobbs has been a real joy to us and we feel very lucky to have him. He has the most expressive eyes and he LOVES to be loved. I know it can be so difficult for older animals to leave their former, familiar homes, but Hobbs knows that this is now his home. and I think he’s very happy here.

“I hope this encourages other people to consider adopting an older animal. What a wonderful experience!”

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Furry Friends Fur-Ever Stories are compiled and written by Nomi Berger who is the bestselling author of seven novels, one work of non-fiction, two volumes of poetry, and hundreds of articles. She is a volunteer writer for Furry Friends in Vancouver, WA and also volunteers her writing skills to animal rescue groups in Canada and the USA.