Memories of Feline Friends ~ Bozo Was the Perfect Name, Part 1

Let me introduce you to a beautiful part Siamese cat, who deigned to live with me for more than 12 fabulous, memorable years.

While I was living in LA, a friend lived with me for a while. He would go out for daily walks and after about a week, he mentioned that he had seen a beautiful cat following him and each day the cat would follow him a bit further. Eventually, this beautiful part Siamese cat followed my friend to my apartment door. The apartment complex did not allow pets, but I left some food outside for the cat. The manager approached me one day quietly saying “why don’t you bring the cat indoors” which is what I did. We tried to find out if anyone had lost a cat, but fortunately, no one in the area knew of a missing cat.

What to name him? As he was so beautiful, cream colored with gleaming blue eyes, I wanted a classy name for him. One day, he knocked over something and my friend laughed and said “What a bozo.” I laughed and thought that was so perfect, and Bozo became his name.

Turns out Bozo was crazy! He could be vicious and want to fight (in the middle of the night); meowed VERY loudly when I came home if I went out again (or even went to my car to get something); he craved attention for perhaps 15 minutes and then could ignore you. If he was on my lap and then I got up, he’d go crazy. I wondered if the people that had owned him had moved away and left him? He never wanted to go outside, except to the balcony. He was very content being indoors.

Bozo had a set schedule: wake early for breakfast, sleep all morning, get up for about an hour at noon, then a nap, get up again about 4PM, stay up for dinner and play at night. In the evening, he was a “guard” cat. However, there were times when Bozo would wake me at 2AM, wanting to fight.

When I moved a book case from the living room to the bedroom, I emptied the books onto the floor, started to drag the book case and thought it seemed very heavy …and there sat Bozo, inside it, wanting to go for a ride.

When Bozo first came into my life, he ate cat food and was not finicky. That quickly changed: his favorite foods included Dannon fat free vanilla yogurt (and it HAD to be Dannon), Marie’s Lite Blue Cheese Dressing, deli turkey and some very specific wet and dry cat foods.

Because Bozo could scratch or attack feet or sit and stare at friends or be playful, when friends came to visit, they would always laughingly ask, “Will we see the good Bozo or the bad Bozo?”

When I had to relocate for a job, moving with Bozo was quite the tale … to be continued!!

You are welcome to join me on my journeys. Many of my posts are about travel but I also write about Cats / Cat Tales, which includes posts/photos of Bozo, Jameson and other cats I have known at www.JourneyswithEileenDiane.com.