Tyson

Thought I would tell you a bit about my big cat with attitude plus Tyson. Tyson came to me as a stray, a very small kitten flying through the kitchen door one day and straight into my other cat's bowls where he proceeded to scoff the remains of their meals. We couldn't find who had owned him - we believe his owner moved away and he got "lost". He chose to stay with us and the rest of the motley crew and since then has been the local king of the block fighting off all intruders methodically and without any tolerance of them whatsover. He is well known in our local area, he has travelled quite a way round on all four paws as you do, and got himself into several scrapes along the way round and about his patch, but he tends to camp out during the day at my local veg shop. He even attracts his own fan club, with Christmas cards addressed to the cat being given to the shop owners.

He is getting on for about 18 1/2 years old although he may be a little older. He has slowed up a lot to what he has been in the past. At one stage he was being very difficult to get in of an evening and it transpired that the young couple who lived above the veg shop thought he was a stray and had been feeding him - I think that they were well put out when I introduced myself as his owner. To complicate matters they now live next door - they now have their own cat, but mine is well put out that this is the case but at least for the best part I can get him in of an evening now - usually.

He tends to spend the best part of his days with the shop owners, curled up fast asleep in a big cardboard box. Prior to this he had had a wicker basket, that he had sort of taken over - not a very big one a very tight fit for a bit cat. But it was needed for a display and so was taken away. Apparently he was quite vocal and chuntered his displeasure and wouldn't settle until they provided him with his current pad.

All of my cats are very vocal and they all come to the whistle.

Matters get a tad problemactic when the shop owners go on holiday as he still goes daily to the shop and is seen to be camping out patiently by the door waiting for them to appear - even on a Sunday! When they don't he comes back chuntering wanting to be let in.

He looks as though butter wouldn't melt, but he soon wraps his claws around you when he has had enough fuss. He is however a very considerate gentleman with the other cats and with Missy - he behaves himself impeccably unless he has been upset about something and nine times out of ten does exactly what I ask of him. This cat listens to what you say. Missy is starting to learn that she is not required as a matter of course to lunge and chase him or any of the others. Its only because she is pleased to see them, but really they are not into being chased and barked at as though its some big game. It might be for Missy but it certainly isn't for them. Tyson on the other hand considers Missy his dog and he doesn't go for her,unless she really is being provocative.

He gets quite huffy puffy with any other dog - especially if they go into the veg shop.

He causes havoc with the local traffic - stops cars and buses mid-saunter across the road. His attitude is that as big as they are they are on his patch and so will have to wait for him.

He squats over the drains to relieve himself and also uses the Zebra crossing to go across the road. The first time I saw him do these I couldn't quite beleive what I had seen until he had done it again. Quite a clever cat really.
He is a lovely old boy really and I think a lot of him; I call him my little buddha!