Bruno

Bru is one of my more severe cases of abuse. My sister, who also has/had the other

members not listed here, wasn't aware of what was going on until her kids "told" on their

Bru's beginning wasn't great, either. He was found by my sister's kids on railroad tracks,

just weaned & starving. The kids brought him home to be nursed back to health only to be

Tammy was working to support her family while her former husband played at working. This

gave him ample opportunity to terrify Bru, if he was in the mood to do so.

Apparently, the guy cornered, kicked & literally stalked this poor kitty, never giving him a

moment's peace! They told tales of coming in from school to find the man following Bruno

around the house until he had Bru cornered. Fortunately, Bruno was quick and managed to

get away without serious physical damage. The emotional damage was far worse! It wasn't

always cornering & kicking. Many times the kids heard some pretty vicious threats toward Bru.

Other times these threats were interrupted by the kids or by Tammy's return home from one of

When Tammy was home, her ex tried to be nice to Bru some of the time, I suppose in a

show of "all is well." After the kids told Tammy of the things going on in her absence, she un-

derstood why Bru was so nervous most of the time. During one of the guy's shows of well being,

he cornered Bru, this time to pet him. Bru might have been terrified but he defended himself by

biting the guy. Knowing Bru isn't a vicious kitty, Tammy received all of the confirmation

she needed of thie kids' accusations. The guy couldn't understand why Bru didn't accept his

overtures, either! (Can you say DUUUUHHH??) Tammy let him know in no uncertain terms

that she backed Bru's actions. This incident was also the final straw. She came to me with the

I had already adopted Hazy & Shades when she came to me with Bruno's story. Apparently,

this guy only attacked Bru and left the others alone. His only "reason" for this was that he didn't

like Bru. I guess in his eyes that should have explained it but it cut 0 ice with those of us who love

Bruno! Needless to say, upon hearing this from my infuriated, tearful sister I took Bru, neutered

him and worked on his emotional well-being. Tammy is relieved and happy that she can see him

any time. It worked out beautifully! Bru is always happy to see Tammy and props on her

shoulders when she comes for a visit, treating her to his deep, throbbing purr!

Bru's former name was "Tappy" because of the marking on his nose. When he was still a

kitten, it looked like someone tapped him on the nose with a blob of gray paint. As he matured,

the marking spread and "Tappy" really didn't fit anymore. After he began to relax, that playful,

ornery side of him emerged & I changed his name to Bruno. I call it terrorism only because care

most of the others don't care for it. Bru seems to be oblivious of it all and keeps

on aggravating them! (Stop by Dif-"fur"-nitions for the meaning of terrorism.)

Today, Bruno is one of the heaviest members of the herd and one of the sweetest. He still terrorizes

from time to time but he's calmed down a lot! With age, he's become a dignified elder statesman who's

maintained all of the beauty of personality and spirit he was always born to possess. He's still a little bit

nervous around men that he doesn't know, but when they show him that they're nice guys, he's ok.

He has one of the loudest purrs I've ever heard from a cat! It's pretty impressive but it's kind

of at odds with his high pitched meow. It cracks me up to hear that plaintive cry coming from such

a big, burly kitty! He does love his conversations, though and as for me, I'm just glad to see that he's

Other than that, he's a constant companion who keeps my legs warm at night. He can put

me to sleep with that massive rumble and charm me sillier when he rolls himself off of my lap

Caught in the act...of what, I don't know...lol Surprise! You're on Mom's camera! :-)

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