Mister B

A new neighbor moved in and soon thereafter a Maine Coon cat was cautiously on the scene at our house.  Our cats gave him a hard time at first, but he persisted and eventually became a member of our animal family.  His given name was Buddy, though we called him Mister B.

Despite the neighbor living close by, Mister B chose to live with us. He just never left.  It wasn’t too long before he was getting meals.  That cold night when we saw him huddled on the porch we invited him in, and he was at home inside and outside the house from that point forward.

We had Max, our German Shepherd Dog, at that time.  Mister B would tease Max, rubbing up against him and flitting his tail across Max’s face.  He was there when Max crossed over to the Rainbow Bridge, and was an enormous source of comfort to us as we grieved.

Eventually, we adopted Samantha and Mister B taught her how to behave around cats with one swift whack.  That was the one and only time he drew blood, and Sam quickly learned about boundaries.  They became friends, sitting next to each other on the top step of the back porch, waiting for the sun to reach the staircase. 

Then one day, the neighbor moved away, and quick as Mister B had come into our lives, he was gone.  The neighbor came over one afternoon while I was at work and scooped him off the front porch where he was taking his nap.  I haven’t seen him since.  It broke my heart to see Sam search the house looking for her friend. I like to think Mister B missed us, too.

He lived with us for four years.  I believe he came into our lives for a purpose—to be there for us when Max died, and to help the new puppy successfully co-exist with cats.  He is a remarkably adaptable cat and I hope wherever he is these days, he’s happy and working his magic with his next family.

We’ll never forget you, Mister B.