Tonto
Tonto actually belongs to our next-door neighbor. Well, used to, anyway. He found the grass was greener on the other side of the fence, so to speak. He’s strictly an outside cat, so he gets a heated and insulated house for the winter and, as they used to say a few generations ago, three squares a day. The neighbor asks about him maybe once a year, if that.
He’s, well, old. We figure he’s at least 18, maybe 19. He doesn’t bother anybody and nobody messes with him. He likes to be scratched behind his ears and under his chin. He likes to lay in the late afternoon sun on the leaves in the fall (photo above). He likes to sit on our lap when we come out to the patio to read or just sit. He doesn’t go far, mostly inhabits the carport and the patio.
He’s one of four “special needs” cats we have. They’re on a low-protien diet and, like most cats, hate it.
He’s long-haired and hates to be brushed, so right now his hair is full of mats. We used to take him to the vet in the summer and be put out so they could completely shave him, but he’s too old for that now. We’re going to buy some heavy duty electric clippers and see if we can hold him down long enough to get rid of some of those mats.
He also has chronic ear problems with black stuff in his ears (not ear mites). We usually have to give him ear drops two or three times a year. He’s also had most of his teeth pulled.
Anytime we’re working outside he shows up for scratches and loves. I don’t think he’s been back over the fence for 7 or 8 years.
