My buddy Colin

Colin came to us in 2010 as a stray who seemed to want to be friends but just hadn't got the hang of interacting nicely with humans. He'd dance and rub, but then would often get confused about what to do next and would start wildly smacking his visitor. I took a shine to him early, despite the smacking, and kept visiting him as he gradually began to learn better manners.

When I give the cats in the doublewide their dinner once a week, Colin is invariably waiting for me. While I'm opening cans and putting the food on plates, he's there rubbing against my legs and playing around my feet.

Initially, I thought he was just hoping to get closer to the food, but I soon discovered that he wasn't interested in joining the mooching crew on the table. He just wanted to be patted on the head as often as he could inspire me to do so.

I assumed this was a regular thing for him with all the people who came into the building, but Leslie surprised me by noting that she only sees him come out like that when I'm there. I'm not able to come to the sanctuary as often as I used to be (hence fewer blog posts these days), and with only a few hours of kitty visiting time a week, I don't expect the cats to necessarily single me out for special remembrance among all the staff, other volunteers, and visitors they may see from week to week. So it's nice to know that my little buddy Colin doesn't forget about me so easily.

He still has moments when he forgets his manners and gets a bit slappy, but all in all we get along fine. He's my little buddy, after all.

Don't worry, though -- he's hardly lonely when I'm not around. In addition to other human friends he's made over the past few years, he's always got his Salty.