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| Name: |
Howie
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Age: |
Twenty years old
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| Gender: |
Male
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Kind: |
Longhair Tuxedo
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| Home: |
San Jose, California, USA
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Howie and I have been together since he was eight weeks old and he just happily celebrated his 20th birthday in November! We met at a PetSmart rescue fair near my mother's home, 3.5 hours away from where I live. It was a fateful trip to get her pet supplies that led me to meet my fluffy tuxedo guy and when I realized he was terrified of everyone and everything, I knew I could provide him with a quiet, stable home and we would make a good fit.
In his younger years, Howie was an avid hunter and was fond of camping outside in either mine or my neighbors' yards most all of the time. In the last few years, he's not only mellowed out and is less afraid of people and noises, but stays in his garden on his favorite chair from morning till evening and then tucks himself into bed next to me at night. He likes to watch the birds and squirrels and warm himself in the sun. He loves when I water the garden so he can lick the water drops off the plants, as you can see in the next to last picture.
Howie is a great lip reader, listening intently when I tell him what a good, handsome boy he is and he responds with a head bump or squishy paws to let me know he loves me too. From the time he was a kitten until a year ago, he would hop up whenever I said, “Gimme a Kiss!” and bump his head to my chin. Arthritis in his legs keeps him from doing that now and he uses cat stairs to help him reach the bed.
Howie shares his home with his fifteen-year-old tuxedo step-brother, Pedro. I sometimes find them sleeping near one another in the garden or on the bed and Pedro treats Howie with the respect that an elderly gentleman cat deserves. Thankfully, only Howie's hearing and eyesight have been impacted with his age and I am careful not to startle him. His vet says he's in great shape with only some age-related decline of his kidneys.
Howie often bellows quite loudly in his garden at various times of the day or night, warbling that everything is right in his world and he just wants everyone to know. He's been a loyal friend and I'm so glad we met that day over 20 years ago.
Happy Birthday, Howie!
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