Pet of the Month: Meet Bubba!

Hi neighbors!

Fourteen years ago, my mom (Mary O’Neill) decided to get a new kitten. She went to the shelter and sat down on the floor of the kitten room. All the other kittens came over to say hello to her and then walked away, but I curled up in her lap and went to sleep. She made me feel safe. Mom came back to the shelter the next day and the exact same thing happened, so she knew that I had chosen her. The shelter staff were so happy, because they thought I would never be adopted as I was so shy.

I’m still very shy and prefer hiding under the bed or hanging out in the garage (my man cave). My mom is the best, but I’m afraid of everyone else. I’m also afraid of loud noises, like the Luke AFB jets and mom’s television. I like the weekends when the jets aren’t flying. And between us, I think mom’s hearing is getting worse as she needs the television too loud. Since we are snowbirds, we fly back and forth to and from our home state. I’m a really good flier, except at takeoff and landing when the engine noises scare me.

When we are in our home state I like to hang out in my backyard, which mom has filled with trees and shrubs, making it a cat playground. My neighborhood frenemies cats come over to visit and to poach catnip from mom. I love to hunt mice and shrews. But mom says I should stop bringing the mice into the house alive and dropping them into her purse. I say it’s a gift!

I love pillows! Bed pillows, decorative pillows, any pillows! I will only jump on the sofa if there’s a pillow there for me. And I like to make mom crazy by lying on the pillows in the guest bedrooms and getting my fur all over them. LOL!

Mom takes really good care of me. I get full bloodwork and a dental cleaning yearly. Did you know that up to 90% of cats over age 4 have some form of dental disease? I am prone to resorptive lesions (where my teeth get reabsorbed into my body), which can be painful. Now that I’m older we are also watching my kidney health.

I’m a big talker. Mom and I have daily conversations. I’m so smart that I know when she is asking me a question, and I answer it. I’m super silky because I don’t have the normal cat guard hairs. Which just means that mom loves to pet me. The most important things to know about me are that I’m neutered, I have a registered microchip, and I’m well loved.