Coltrane.
2006ish to June 19, 2011.
On June 19, 2011, in his travels between our house and his other home, Coltrane was struck by a car and killed. We buried him in the place where he most loved to hang out, by the garden shed. We’ll miss him an awful lot.
Coltrane showed up sometime in the Spring of 2010. We’d see him wandering across our property, and slowly he came closer and closer to us. Finally, when Fred got up in the morning, Coltrane would be sitting on the side stoop waiting to escort Fred around the property as he did his early morning chores. Once we knew we could depend on Coltrane showing up regularly, we made an appointment to have him tested, neutered, and get all his shots.
(We live by the principle that any animal – particularly cats – who wander across our property can and will be spayed or neutered by us.)
It took a few more months, until the weather turned cold, for Coltrane to be willing to enter the house. These days, if it’s particularly cold outside, Coltrane will spend the night inside. Otherwise, he’ll come in every now and then, eat, take a nap, and then head out the door for destinations unknown.
We suspect he actually has a home and is just visiting us for the free food and cushy beds, but I’m listing him as a permanent resident anyway, just in case.
You can see more pictures of Coltrane over at Flickr.
Coltrane is such a handsome boy!
Wow, Coltrane’s looks and story matches my ginger tabby Apollo. I know for a fact Apollo had a different house, they are the one that named him, he just chooses to live at mine. I also had him tested and neutered and he spends lots of time going off outside but comes back because he knows the routine.