The tuxedo gray and white Alpha-Male cat that owned us and our house died after his health nose-dived. Bootsie vetted and chose us as occupants of his domain more than a decade ago after living in the wild.

He first took up residence under a shed at the bottom of our driveway, often appearing when Amy would return home on Friday night after her bingo nights in Christiansburg. He would block the car’s entrance for the driveway and then would wait for Amy to open the door so he could approach for mandatory petting before allowing her to to pass and proceed up to the garage.

This rountine went on for months before he showed up on the top of our hill and took up residence in our garage, foraging in the yards and then retorn to the garage to sleep and eat the food and water, but refused to come into the house for weeks that turned into months before deciding, one morning to enter the house when I opened the door.

After surveying the house, hissing and growling at our other cas, he helped himself to their food and water and selecting a couch in the living room as a bed.

The vets gave himthe needed shots, checkied him for diseases, found none, and became thr assumed position as the Alpha Male. He arrived neutered, kept himself cleaned , was fastidious and loving, on his own terms. He was a male who liked to nibble on the fingers and toes of his humans and his time the wild gave him a wild temper if startled. We both have scars from his attacks during thoser periods, which always followed by extended nuzzling and loving attention.

He became a loved member of our home and family.

After more of a decade as him at the master, the end came quickly. His eyesight failed. He lost the use of his rear legs and hid once-commanding voice became weak cries for help. We tended to him until he die.

I buried Bootsie where Amy first met him, by tht shed ai the bottom of our driveway — his home before he chose to become the welcome master of ours.