Benjamin P. Cat

Ben is the third of our boys. He is Mike's cat. Mike rescued him and Miss Girl about a year before we combined our households. Ben is a very sweet boy, a black and white tuxedo cat.

He and our late Miss Girl had been together their whole lives, but we don't know if they were siblings. They definitely didn't look anything alike, but that can happen. Ben loved Miss Girl, and he seemed to be her protector. They were in a horribly abusive situation when Mike rescued them. It took Ben a while to become a great cat - he was not a very good boy at first, but he has become a very lovey, sweet cat! He always looked out for Miss G. And he and Henry have become very close buddies. When Henry disappeared after his balcony dive, Ben was very visibly upset. He was so happy when Henry returned home!

Ben likes to "herd" his humans. He is pretty mouthy and usually lets us know in pretty clear terms what he wants. He LOVES to spend time on the balcony (he is still allowed since he has not tried to jump to the railing like Henry. You can see him curled in the rocking chair on the balcony left.) He also loves to go into the bathroom with his humans. He sees this as his own personal captive audience time. He wants the pets, but he also really likes drinking from the bathroom sink!

Ben also loves naptime. He tries to convince us pretty frequently that we need naps. I don't know how he knows, but he seems to have "nap-dar" and meet us in the bedroom if we plan on napping! He will curl up with either of us and stay for the length of the nap.

Ben doesn't purr very much. We think, unfortunately, that he and Miss Girl may have been punished for purring. Neither of them purred, and both started learning to after being with us for a bit. Ben does what we call "purrgling" now. He gets going with a good purr, but then it chokes him up. It's very sweet, and just a little funny! :)

Ben is a great cat now. He is the same age as our Henry - about eight years old. He has adjusted to all the changes he's experienced since he came into our lives. I really hate to think about the few years before that when his life was very unpleasant. I'm so glad that Mike found him and Miss Girl. We were able to give her a good home for a time, and Ben a longer time. (We miss our Miss G greatly. I think Ben does too, although it is hard to tell with kitties!)

--Tammy

Comments

[Laurel]

I like "purgling"...I have a cat who does that, too. Sometimes it sounds like he needs to be suctioned!

Bless you and Mike for patiently loving Ben into "great cat" status after an abusive life. There is no gratitude more touching, it seems, than that of a rescued animal.

[turtlecookie]

Ben sounds like a real sweetheart. It's heartwarming to hear stories about the healing power of love.

Had to chuckle at Ben's liking to follow you to the bathroom. Zip does that, too, for the pets. He also used to listen for the toilet to flush, then he'd come running for a drink of "fresh" toilet water. Kinda gross, really. He seems to be over that now. We can but hope. (Sink water I wouldn't mind...)

Thanks for sharing about your cats, Tammy.

turtlecookie

[jan]

I thought my cat was the only one who insisted on herding (people and dogs).I think she was a Border Collie in another life.

[Dana]

I've heard about some cats who will "herd" their owners...pretty wild huh? Maybe dogs and cats are not as different as we think they are! Thanks for sharing Ben with us!