Big Max the Bandit

A year ago, a cat came to visit us.  He is a huge black and white cat with markings like a holstein cow.  We somehow started calling him Max or Big Max.  

I found him while I was taking photos of the giant sunflowers growing near our back porch.  He startled me when he popped out from under the deck and started meowing at me.  I had my camera focused up high, and I nearly stumbled backward when he came running out to greet me.  I guess I thought he was a skunk.

Here he is coming out from the coolness of the shade under our deck last July.

Coming out to greet me and to get a pat on the head.  He's very friendly.

Master of the back yard...surveying his land.

Zap was very curious about our visitor.  Funny, I used to think Zap was huge, not anymore after meeting Big Max.

See?  He's larger than life and look out, here he comes.

Patrolling the plants.

Standing guard.

I was photographing the growth of the beans Molly and I planted for a school project...and here came Big Max to be in the picture too.

He spends a lot of time here with us while we're in the yard.

Such a big sweet pretty boy.

Seat cushion.

Hey, it's raining.  Let me in!

But, don't feel too sorry for him.  He has a home 3 doors down with a kitty door and complete access to a nice warm dry home with food and water.  A few weeks ago, I posted a photo of him onto our neighborhood Facebook page and I asked "Does anyone recognize this cat?"  Within an hour, I had a response from a woman named Sue.  She told me all about "Bandit" and that he came to live with them a few years ago.  They think that he may have played with the cat that used to live here in our home or that maybe he even belonged to someone up this way at one time.  He may have even been abandoned in a nice neighborhood with the hopes that a kindly family would take him in.

He's had a tough life in the past, but now, we know he has one "main" family.  When they go out of town, Sue lets me know that he may come to see us, and he always does come right here.  I don't know how Max knows when they come home, but he leaves when they come back.  It's a mystery.  

I've developed a friendship with Sue and she and I contact each other from time to time in regards to "our" cat.  She loves the photos I've taken of him and she knows that when they leave, he'll always be here.  Who knows, maybe he even has a third family?  Maybe we should rename him "Drifter?"  I'd like to put a kitty-cam on his collar to see where he goes.  Or maybe we can leave a message holder on his collar with a sign-in sheet rolled inside.  "If you take care of this cat and he lives with you part-time, sign your name and let us know what you named him."  Hahaha!  Cats are such lovable freeloaders, aren't they?

Whatever his story is, he's welcome here any time.  Big Max the Bandit is a good boy.