Birthday Boy Bob

February 22, 2019

Most artists have a muse … I have two. My beautiful cats Bibi and Bobby.  Bibi is never far from my side when I am creating my artwork … usually about 60cm, where he sits on a layered, woollen blanket in an antique Indian food bowl.  He’s good company.  

Bob tends to be a little further away … favourite is a comfy bed.  Often Bibi and Bobby cuddle up together and love wrestling and playing games. They are great companions. 

Yesterday we celebrated Bob’s 10^thbirthday! It’s not officially his birthday, which is a date we will never know.  Bob was a starving street-cat of Sheffield and was rescued from the snow-covered streets by the RSPCA on 21^stFebruary 2011.  They cared for him, fed him up and tried to rehome him, only to have him handed back a week later, with the label of “can be aggressive”. 

We fell in love with Bob from the moment we saw him, realising that he was an affectionate cat that needed a loving home.  We named him after Bob Dylan and he’s lived up to his namesake in that he is a very mellow personality. I still got bitten however and often went to work with an armful of teeth marks!  A vet advised us to get a playmate for Bob and so we went back to the RSPCA and brought home Jimmy named after Jimi Hendrix.  Bob adored him and they were the best of friends, playing together and we all made the journey from Yorkshire to our new home by the sea in Devon, three years ago. 

 

Unlike streetwise Bob, Jimmy hadn’t worked out that roads were dangerous places and he was killed by a car two years after joining our family. We were all heartbroken and Bob pined for his little friend. He began biting again.

 Bobby got a new little brother by way of a lively, little black Devonian called Bibi.  We weren’t going to name a cat after a musical legend who died young and so Bibi was named after soul singer and old timer: BB King. Bob dotes on Bibi and Bibi adores big bro’ Bob.

 

Over the last few months we’ve all been helping Bob with his weight loss programme and Bibi is ever keen to snaffle whatever Bob hasn’t eaten at break neck speed.  As a result, Bob has lost 1kg over the past 6 months and has just 300 grams to go to get to his target weight. Bravo Bob!

Over the eight years that Bob has been in my life, I am ever humbled by his kind, patient and loyal personality. Popular with neighbours and enjoying the attention from people, Bob can always be found by our gate in the morning, saying hello to children as they make their way to and from school. He will fight for his territory but loves welcoming people into our home.  So Happy Birthday Bob and here’s to your next decade in Devon!

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