Bob has issues. The sainted Buster found Bob, just as he had found multiple other cats that ended up being adopted into our home. But the Bob he found was very different from the gorgeous, long-haired, green-eyed, bobtailed cat we now know and love. He was emaciated, covered in fleas and terrified of me. It took months of veterinary care to get him healthy, but far less time for him to decide he was home and I was his housekeeper.

I already had four cats when Bob showed up, and the alpha-cat Ned did not react well to the new addition. Ned avoided Bob, hissed at him when the youngster attempted to play, and began spending more and more time away from home. He returned only for food and the occasional displays of affection.

Fast forward several years and Bob is the cat acting displaced by the addition of Ollie to our family. He spends less and less time socializing. He has more trouble with the symptoms of what his doctor calls the feline version of Crohn’s disease, losing much of his gorgeous coat during one particularly bad episode.

When his coat grew back as beautiful as ever, I believed we were over the worst of it. Bob began seeking me out for attention. At first it was just my knuckles against his jaw and a stroke or two down his back. Then, a couple of weeks ago, when he jumped on my lap for some love, I notice a large mat of hair under his right front leg, totally hidden by his long coat. There was also a large mat on his left side. Before Ollie, Bob allowed me to brush him regularly. But since the turf war began, grooming opportunities were few and far between. Even now when he jumps on my lap, he doesn’t appreciate my use of a comb, scissors or attempts to gently remove the worst of the mats. He panics as soon as he catches sight of my tools or figures out my intentions.

I made an appointment with his veterinarian, but made the mistake of posting a reminder to myself on the back door. Apparently, Bob can read. He ate his breakfast and disappeared instead of taking his usual morning nap on his favorite chair. I wasn’t able to utilize professional help and pharmaceuticals.

While I love dogs and cats equally, I have to admit it is generally easier to reason with a dog than a cat. Over a two-week period, I have been able to remove only parts of both mats. I’m hoping that with time and patience Bob will allow me to return him to the beautiful, well-groomed cat that stole my heart so many years ago. Say a prayer for me.

Pets and the People Who Love Them is brought to you by your friends at the Athens-Limestone Animal Shelter. To adopt a cat or dog, visit us at 1701 U.S. 72 (behind Limestone Veterinary Clinic), go to our Facebook page or call us at 256-771-7889.

Email your questions to me at PetsAndPeople@charter.net, and I’ll check with the experts (veterinarians, animal behaviorists, etc.) and get back to you in a future column.