u/FinneganTrout

After more than a year of trying to integrate Bob with our two cats, we have come to the extremely difficult decision to look for a home where Bob can reign freely over his kingdom.

 When he first showed up on our deck in Feb of 2025, we thought such a beautiful cat had to be lost. Then we saw he was unneutered and heard he had been making the rounds to neighbor's homes and knew he must be a stray. He started showing up with terrible injuries and we felt we needed to do something. With lots of help from the neighborhood, and after months of trying, we finally managed to trap him. It was never our intention to keep him ourselves. We already had two cats, and our female is very anxious and territorial. As a stray, he was tested for FIV and FeLV when he was fixed. Getting the FIV+ results was a shock to us. We had never even thought about that being an issue. But, as he was positive, we knew he could not be returned to the streets, and it would be hard to place him in a home. At the time we did not know how he would adjust to life indoors. Not knowing his history, we were bowled over when he seemed to take to it like a duck to water. He warmed up to us quickly and soon we knew that he would need to move out of our bathroom for a larger area while we tried to integrate him into our home. 

Learning that FIV+ cats can live perfectly well with negative cats, we hoped for the best. Despite all our  efforts these last 12 or so months, Tilly has never accepted Bob, and she is under a great deal of stress because of his presence. When Tilly hisses and growls at Bob, he in turn, gets reactive. Bob did get past our gate system and got hold of her one time. Now, she is even more fearful of him. 

We have done everything in our power to acclimate the cats to each other- proper introductions, re-introductions, behavioral vet consultations, medications for them both, pheromone diffusers, etc. 

Bob has his own room, and we swap the cats so he gets to spend a few hours in the house with us. As I am home during the day, I visit/play with him frequently.

We know though that this is not the best situation for any cat. He deserves a loving home where he is free to roam and can be king of his castle. Bob is a wonderful cat. This decision has not been easy for us. We love him very much. But we want the best life possible for him. Bob survived the streets and deserves to be loved and pampered and to feel safe.

Our hope now is to find him the loving family he deserves. If you, or anyone you know, in the Columbus, OH area, are looking for a beautiful, smart and energetic cat, please let them know about Bob. 

Bob is very healthy, up to date on all vaccinations and gets regular vet care. He is about three years old. We do not know how he is around young children or dogs. We also feel that he would do best as the only cat in the household.

Besides being incredibly good looking, Bob is smart, curious and still figuring out life in a house. He is a fun, frisky boy who enjoys bird watching from windows, chasing his feather toys through his tunnel and being up on his high perch. He does not scratch furniture or carpets and uses his litterbox like a champ. Although he looks like a Bengal cat, we believe him to be a spotted tabby. We just ordered a DNA test kit for him, though.

While Bob enjoys pets and brushing, he can get overstimulated on rare occasions. When he does, he communicates clearly through body language (ears will go back) before he gets defensive. 

Currently, Bob is not a ‘lap cat’ but this may change once he gets to spend more one-on-one time with his person or people. He loves to be around people and gets the zoomies from time to time. He is active & clever and likes to keep sharp by solving food puzzles and hunting for hidden treats. His snuffle mat and ball pit are favorites.

We don’t have an extensive personal network in the Columbus area which is why I thought this post might get Bob’s story to more people. Also, while not the ideal living situation, we are committed to Bob and will keep him until his perfect home is found. 

If you are interested in Bob or know someone who might be, please reach out. There will be a rehoming fee and a vet reference check.

​

After more than a year of trying to integrate Bob with our two cats, we have come to the extremely difficult decision to look for a home where Bob can reign freely over his kingdom.

When he first showed up on our deck in Feb of 2025, we thought such a beautiful cat had to be lost. Then we saw he was unneutered and heard he had been making the rounds to neighbor's homes and knew he must be a stray. He started showing up with terrible injuries and we felt we needed to do something. With lots of help from the neighborhood, and after months of trying, we finally managed to trap him. It was never our intention to keep him ourselves. We already had two cats, and our female is very anxious and territorial. As a stray, he was tested for FIV and FeLV when he was fixed. Getting the FIV+ results was a shock to us. We had never even thought about that being an issue. But, as he was positive, we knew he could not be returned to the streets, and it would be hard to place him in a home. At the time we did not know how he would adjust to life indoors. Not knowing his history, we were bowled over when he seemed to take to it like a duck to water. He warmed up to us quickly and soon we knew that he would need to move out of our bathroom for a larger area while we tried to integrate him into our home.

FIV+ cats can live perfectly well with negative cats and that was our hope. Despite our best efforts these last 10 or so months, Tilly has never accepted Bob, and she is under a great deal of stress because of his presence. When Tilly hisses and growls at Bob, he in turn gets reactive. We have done everything in our power to acclimate the cats to each other- proper introductions, re-introductions, behavioral vet consultations, medications for them both, pheromone diffusers, etc.

Bob has his own room, and we swap the cats so he gets to spend a few hours in the house with us. As I am home during the day, I visit/play with him frequently.

We know though that this is not the best situation for any cat. He deserves a loving home where he is free to roam and can be king of his castle. Bob is a wonderful cat. This decision has not been easy for us. We love him very much. But we want the best life possible for him. Bob survived the streets and deserved to be loved and pampered and to feel safe.

Our hope now is to find him the loving family he deserves. If you, or anyone you know, are looking to add a beautiful, smart and energetic cat to their family please let them know about Bob. Although Bob is FIV+ he is very healthy and up to date on all vaccinations. Bob is about three years old. We do not know how he is around young children or dogs. We also feel that he would do best as the only cat in the household.

Besides being incredibly good looking, Bob is smart, curious and still figuring out life in a house. He is a fun, frisky boy who enjoys bird watching from windows, chasing his feather toys through his tunnel and being up on his high perch. He does not scratch furniture or carpets and uses his litterbox like a champ. Although he looks like a Bengal cat, we believe him to be a spotted tabby. We just ordered a DNA test kit for him, though.

While Bob enjoys pets and brushing, he can get overstimulated on rare occasions. When he does, he communicates clearly through body language (ears will go back) before he gets defensive.

Currently, Bob is not a ‘lap cat’ but this may change once he gets to spend more one-on-one time with his person or people. He loves to be around people and gets the zoomies from time to time. He is active & clever and likes to keep sharp by solving food puzzles and hunting for hidden treats. His snuffle mat and ball pit are favorites.

We don’t have an extensive personal network in the Columbus area which is why I thought this post might get Bob’s story to more people. Also, while not the ideal living situation, we are committed to Bob and will keep him until his perfect home is found.

If you are interested in Bob or know someone who might be, please reach out. There will be a rehoming fee and a vet reference check.