Introducing Squirrel, the cat

This is Squirrel, my youngest child's cat. While we have 5 cats running around, this one has the most personality. Actually, I think he may be tied at the top of the list of all the cats I've ever had for interesting personality. The other one was a cat we had when my oldest was somewhere around 4. He was also a black cat that we called BC. Original, no? It was one of the sadder days we've had when he got run over. :(

We acquired Squirrel a little over a year ago after the birthday kitten we'd gotten youngest was accidentally killed. I was looking for a kitten of about the same age so that the remaining kitten (hubby just couldn't pass up one of his own) would hopefully bond with it and they'd be playmates. I had a lady answer my ad with a kitten she said was six months old, which would be good since our remaining kitten was 4 months old. She said he was great with kids and dogs, which  he was, and that he was still a young kitten, which he wasn't. She lived in the city an hour away so we agreed to meet halfway. We get there and she pops out of her car with this large, black cat. Um, not a kitten. He was actually around a year old. But what was I going to do? She'd driven this far and was apparently going to take this cat to the shelter when she saw my ad. So, of course, I took him anyway. Good decision!

He is the most unflappable cat I've ever seen. He is not laid back, it's just that nothing phases him. He rode in the car vary calmly and acted like he'd always been here. He actually did bond well with the kitten, which surprised the heck out of me at his age. He acted like the dogs weren't even there. He's my little freak dog's favorite playmate as well.

There was once he was up a tree and oldest child's cat was up there trying to start a fight. Squirrel ended up falling out of the tree and oldest child caught him. No claws involved. He just acted like he fully expected her to catch him and all was good. He baffled my LGD who lives out with my goats. This dog took forever to get used to my barn cats and when this cat came strolling casually out to the pasture one day to see what I was doing, the dog went into guard mode and started barking and charging, the cat completely ignored him and the dog was seriously confused. They are now best friends and sometimes the cat will even deign to play with the dog. The cat is one for three creatures that the dog allows near his food.

Squirrel is a ferocious hunter and usually catches at least three things a day, although he has a hard time keeping them since the dogs have decided he is a provider of snacks and tend to take his catch. He's been murder on packrats recently. He loves to be outside most of the time and he's made himself a cat door out of my bathroom window this last summer. Why that particular window, I don't know, but he gets up there, with something like an inch of sill, and pries open the screen so he can come and go. Then I discover it and fix it and the cycle begins again. He's rather put out now that the weather is colder and the window is closed.

When he decides that he is need of attention, you will give it to him. Otherwise he tackles you. He doesn't use claws but he's a big cat, 12 pounds, and he can be very persuasive. He latches onto a body part and doesn't let go til you give him what he wants. He loves to go for walks and has gone on walks of more than a mile with us. He got hot on a walk one day this summer and thought the fox den we'd just come across would be a fantastic spot to cool off. I had to grab him as he was headed down a tunnel as I didn't think that was going to end well. I don't know a cat this fearless is still alive, but thankfully he is.

This is the bathroom window from outside, about 6 feet up.

And, most importantly, he is great with youngest child although I think he's everybody's favorite cat!