He’s really not as tough as he looks; he just thinks he’s as tough as he looks! Billy is one of two half-brothers (the other being Bitsy) whom we adopted as adults a couple of years ago. Their elderly caretakers had both passed away, leaving a home with two small dogs and six cats without their people.
Billy’s transition into our family was the most difficult of all the felines. Not only did he have absolutely no interest in friendly interaction with any of the other cats (although he did hide out with Bitsy in the beginning), he wasn’t all that thrilled with me either. He did seem to find Joe’s presence somewhat more tolerable and would even seek the occasional pat from him. Mostly though, he just wanted to spend every possible moment outside away from us all, contemplating the cruel twist of fate that had delivered him into this asylum of unfamiliar faces.
Over time, Billy has come to appreciate his home here. He now willingly enters and spends significant time in the house. He purrs, he plays, he victimizes poor Capri anytime he thinks he can get away with it, he patrols the barn regularly and sojourns into the woods at the edge of the horse pasture, he steals the ancient cat’s incredibly expensive special kidney diet food, but most importantly, HE LOVES ME!
Obituary
True to his stalwart and indomitable nature, Billy lived with chronic renal failure, hyperthyroidism, hyperparathyroidism, and skin cancer for the last two and a half years of his life. Through daily management of his various conditions, Billy enjoyed a comfortable life until his incredible spirit could no longer counteract the effects of disease on his physical body. On May 4, 2010, I held my valiant old man as he was released from this life. Billy’s insistence on living life on his own terms earned my profound respect and devotion every day of the nearly fourteen years we spent together as family. I have no doubt that his spirit will continue to run the show wherever he may travel next. Keep safe the large part of my heart you took with you, Mr. Bill. You will be forever missed … forever loved.