The Cats of University Heights: The Colonel

Easily the handsomest street roamer in my neighborhood is The Colonel—and, yes, that’s his name. I spotted the furball six weeks or so ago, meeting his husband-and-wife owners at the same time. East Coasters, like me. Even better: New Yorkers. That NYC attitude and frankness is so refreshing! Love it! They’re also renters, but a house with their first lawn ever.

Back East, The Colonel was an indoor pet, who spends more time outdoors now that he is a Californian. (Year is long enough to establish residency, right?) The cat doesn’t roam too far from home but moves about enough to have lost weight. 

The Colonel

For weeks, I have walked by The Colonel’s home on North Ave. hoping to get a good photo. Yesterday morning, at 8:48 PDT, I finally snapped the keeper. The Featured Image is a straightened shot, while the portrait is the same pic cropped. I used Fujifilm X-T1 with Fujinon XF18-55mmF2.8-4 R LM OIS lens. Vitals: f/5.6, ISO 200, 1/75 sec, 55mm.

Happy Caturday!

Update, June 19, 2017: A few months back, while on a walk, my wife and I chatted with The Colonel’s owners. He had lost weight and, honestly, looked terribly scrawny to me. They expressed concern about his well-being.

This afternoon, Annie and I walked by The Colonel’s house, where we saw mother and daughter playing in the front yard. The woman asked if we had seen “our new cat”. Then she told us that The Colonel was gone. He succumbed to “the cancer”, she said.

Also in this series: Scruffy, Roly Poly, Woo, Skull, and Biscuit.