Bandit the kitty who stole into our yard and gained a special friend.!!

One Summer when we were on Vacation here in the Midwest when we got a phone call from some of our friends who were house sitting for us, that there was a kitten that they had pulled out of our Garbage can. Well when we got home there was this Scrawny little kitten running around in our back yard as he was so little he had not yet learned how to climb. One day After school I decided to take Charlie whom was my cat and try and get this little kitten to come to me by playing and petting and interacting with charlie. Well the tricked worked and the kitten got very very curious and I got him. When I looked him over I saw that he had a crooked tail I thought that was very weird for a cat and I wondered where and how he got that way. We put him in a cat Carrier because he was so wild it was almost like he was a feral cat but he was not. We took him to the vet to find out not only what kind of cat he was but also to find out if he had had any of his shots etc. The Vet told us that he was a Black Maine Coon and that he had probably been born with his tail crooked, and that his crooked tail may have been the reason that he was dumped in the trashcan. We asked the vet to help us find a home for him as we already had charlie and Cammie but we decided to take him home and we all ended up falling in love with the Lil guy and named him Bandit because he stole into our yard.

Well charlie took this little kitten now called "Bandit the bud for short" under his wing. He taught Bandit how to clean himself play etc. This little Kitten had no social interaction of any kind with other cats what so ever so charlie became sort of his protector and Mentor if you will. Charlie and Bandit really bonded but Cammie and Bandit never did they just Tolerated each other. I do Recall one time Seeing them both sleeping together in the chair that all 3 of the cats always enjoyed.

There is one very Special friend that Bandit has made and even come to really love. This Special friend had a hard time being able to interact with bandit. So what Bandit did so that his Special friend was able to interact with him better was he would jump up onto the Picnic Table that we had out on the Back porch so that his friend could interact with him . Bandit would sit by the back door and wait until his Special friend would come out with either treats or Crunchies(dry food)and praise him and tell him what a good boy he was. and spoil him and pet him.
At night Bandit's favorite thing to do if it is a clear night and a full moon is, He goes up on the roof and runs back and forth and back and forth it is his way of telling his special friend good night and (keeping his mommy awake) the way he likes everyone to know that he is awake and wanting food is he will find a ball that will fit in his mouth and take it up on the roof and let it drop down and then he chases it just for the fun of being a cat and letting those he loves know that he is there watching over them.

I remember one night looking outside and seeing charlie and Bandit on the back of a Raccoon when the Raccoon got to the edge of the porch one cat jumped left and the other cat jumped right. The raccoon did not come back for several month's but when he did his payback for what charlie and Bandit did to him was he sat up on the picnic table and opened the cat Carrier door and slammed it shut and he kept on doing this just for the sheer fun of it all until My mom came to see what it was all about and then if my Memory serves me correctly he ran off, or maybe it was waddled because as everyone knows raccoons can be very fat little critters.

Bandit is a really good cat he and charlie and his Special friend are a really big part of who I am today and is also very special to me and very close to my heart.

here are some pictures that I found of Bandit and Charlie

Angel helping Paul

Our very sweet yet skidish and timid kitty Angel loves our son Paul, and Paul loves her, but neither one really knows how to interact with the other. With that said I have been doing some Reading about how cats in Particular help kids who have Autism learn basic social skills. When Paul was first born Angel Loved him even then. As Paul has Gotten older she has learned that he does love her to but with her Being skidish it is hard to explain to him that its not because she does not like him back its because she does not like loud noises. In the morning she will jump on the bed and if Paul is there she will meow at everyone including Paul as if to say "hey its morning get up" once everyone is up she meows still and purrs wanting everyone's attention and love. she lets Paul Pay the most attention to her in the am before he goes to school. Paul like to talk to her and tell her what he is doing and what he is playing with and she just looks at him purrs and rubs against him and Meows back. Its sometimes hard not to watch without saying anything or intervening. The really neat thing about Angel with Paul is if he gets to rough with her she knows not to put her claws out. Most of the time when he does get rough she will usually just bat at him with a paw as if to say "OK I have had enough" I have only heard her hiss at him once and it was because he had pulled her tail. He cried and asked why she had made that noise and I said "because you pulled her tail kitties do not like it when you pull their tail" and ever since then he has never done that to her again. I do not know how but cats in particular have this understanding of children with any kind of special need. Maybe its because they have unconditional love for whom ever interacts with them the most and shows them the most love and attention. Just this last week Angel has allowed Paul to start picking her up and holding her. she is now to the point where she knows that he is not going to hurt her or drop her. but he does not like it when she wiggles and wants down, this causes him to sometimes get upset and not want to pet her or hold her and I have to explain to him that this is her way of saying that she has had enough of the attention and wants to go do her own thing. I am starting to get him to realize that its better to let Angel pursue him rather than him going to her where she is.. this just goes to show how Angel is part of Paul's progress.