Bandit came south to live with us as a 6-7yr old. It took a bit to figure out that he was pretty tightly wound. He seemed to internalize all his anxieties so the symptoms were much less noticeable than one would expect. We were a bit concerned when he first came home because he would never look anyone in the eye. I just wasn’t used to that! The whole first year he was with us he would look next to you, not directly at you. And we used to call him “The World’s Quietest Shorthair” because he NEVER barked! But what he did do was obsess over lights. He chased lights and shadows constantly, it sure kept him busy.
Then after about a year, he not only started looking us in the eye, but he found his voice and his light chasing became just a game, not an obsession. We had six wonderful years with him. He loved to go traveling in the RV and camping. He saw the sites all over the southwest, and enjoyed it all! He also loved to swim, and would jump off of the side of the pool to fetch a ball. He wouldn’t play fetch on dry land, just out of the pool. He had his rules! But his very favorite game of all was hunting for rocks in a lake or river. He would do it for hours on end if we let him!
This past year has been a bit more difficult for him as he aged considerably and was diagnosed with Cushings. He still loved his daily walks, and still was always available for some shadow chasing if you were willing to play. He still had his voice, although it was a bit hoarse. And oh, he would stare in your eyes for as long as you wanted.
He will always be in our hearts . . .
