Billy

Billy came to the sanctuary a couple of years ago from the No. 5 Road shelter. Apparently he'd gotten himself a reputation for being a bit troublesome as a cage dweller, which made it tough to adopt him out.

Even when he was first at the sanctuary, caged once again until he had time to get his bearings, he managed to make people think twice about entering unnecessarily. And it wasn't the entry but the exit that could prove difficult, what with the grabbing and swatting. Leslie says Billy probably objected to people leaving him behind in the cage and was acting up as a result. Shannon remembers him as the first cat at the sanctuary who bit her. Gaye also remembers Billy being a swatter when he first came, though notes that he's mellowed out a lot now.

When I met him the other day, I got to see a little of both sides. It only took a few smiles and a couple of pats to lure him out from his comfy bed on top of the fridge to come and give some love. He purred, he danced, he rubbed, he sniffed and nosed at my eyes, mouth and forehead... (I hear he's a kisser)
Then he danced his way right down off the fridge, over to the dryer, and finally to a big bowl of kibble on the floor. This done, it was back to the comfy bed.

All of this is rather hard to get a good portrait shot out of, so I had to come back later and try rousing him again so I could get a couple of close-ups. To be fair, he did try to communicate to me that visiting hours were over before biting my wrist. As with most tabbies I've met, cuddle time must be arranged at a mutually agreeable time. Catch Billy when he's not already cuddled out, and he might even come out to greet you when you call his name.