My Tom Cat, T.J.

I gave a lot of thought about what I should share next. I decided before I get too personal, I should share something in my life that is lighthearted and might relieve some stress for those who are constantly stressing out like me! If anything, please skim through to see some cute pictures and videos.

This is my cat T.J. Yes, I am going to be that girl who posts about her cat. I have had a lot of cats in my life, but I have never had one like T.J. He truly has a personality of his own. Now, he is quite old and extremely overweight, so I know he is not the most attractive cat out there, but there are times he can be quite adorable. I like to believe T.J. and I have had a nice, odd relationship ever since the day we brought him home.

The reason we got T.J. was all because of my brother, Jake. T.J.’s owners, who were Jake’s friends, got a new puppy and the cat was not too happy about it. Shocker, right? They could not have him live outside because he was completely declawed, so they knew they had to get rid of him somehow. My brother was quite fond of the cat and did not want to see him go to a shelter or get shot, so he asked my mother and I if we would take him. Being the animal lovers that we are, of course, we said yes. Little did we know of the attitude this cat had.

From the moment we came and picked him up, he was scared, but this was understandable. He has been with his family for a long time and all the sudden, a new puppy came in and he was kicked out the door. The entire ride home, he cried in the carrier.  My mother and I could not help but feel said for him, but the moment we brought him inside, our attitude changed.

He turned into a demon! We could not believe it. We expected him to act scared or nervous, but we did not expect him to turn into a cat from hell. The moment we let him out, he ran through the house, jumped on my mom’s bed, and growled at anyone who would come near. Back then, we were so mad he was acting this way, but looking back on it now, it was funny. Just peaking around the door frame would cause him to do a terrifying hiss.

I do not know how it happened, but eventually, he came around to accept his new home. I mean, why wouldn’t he? We fed him! As time when on, he came to love us. Today, to be honest, I have no clue how long we have had him or how old he is. I just know it has been a very long time and he is very, very old. I also know that I am very happy to have him in my life. The things that he does always seem to make my friends and I smile.

This video above shows my favorite thing about T.J.: his need for attention. I find this to be so adorable. Every morning, I make a cup of coffee and drink it at the dining room table. He will come up to me, purring and bat at me. Now, I am not fully sure why he does this. Mom says it is because he likes a fresh bowl of food, a couple of treats, and fresh cold water in the morning, but not once have I done this for him, so I don’t know why he would think I would. Boy, he is spoiled, and that is why he is fat.

I also love how vocal T.J. is. As you can see in these videos, you can almost always expect a response from him. I have never met such a vocal cat in my life, but I think it is great.

Also, given that T.J. is so fat, it is loads of fun to mess with him. Sometimes, when he is sprawled out with his flub consuming the floor, I like to poke him with my foot. I do this until he gets really irritated, and occasionally, he tries to fight back. I will start to walk away, and he chases me! It might be one of those things that you have to be there for, but you can take my word that a chubby cat chasing me around is hilarious.

Finally, all that fat is great to cuddle. Sometimes, he wants to cuddle at the most inconvenient times, like when I am working on homework, but at other times, it is nice. He is so large, he covers my entire lap. Whenever I am upset and need a good cuddle, I just call his name and he is there. Now, on some occasions he gets pretty picky with how you cuddle him. He may not have claws, but he knows how to use his teeth.

All in all, T.J. is an amazing cat. Ever since we first got him, he had a unique personality. Although he may be chubby, fluffy and needy, I love every inch of him. Some may consider a cat as just a cat, but for a very long time now, he has been part of the family.