Hobo the Brave

    Meet Hobo.*

"Hi. I'm Hobo."

    No, he's not my kitty (yet ... mwahaha. Just kidding, just kidding. I'm not looking to kidnap him; who, me?!). He's my parents'.
    Isn't he adorable?
    He's also a true 'fraidy cat. Seriously. If you approach his fluffy self, he cowers and flees as soon as he can.
    And he is Hobo the Brave.

I'm so fluffy, but you already know.

    He used to be a stray, and by the time he was rescued, he was FIV-positive, living in a dump, starving and filthy and in the "worst shape" of any cat the rescue worker had seen.
    Yet he pulled through, and he's semi-receptive to people now (if they have a whipped cream can nearby, that is). He even has a friend: Yoyo, another young, rescued stray who never does anything without him.

"We travel in pairs."

    He doesn't act like any cat I've known. He shrinks away from people, scampers and slinks around the house as if expecting imminent doom, and when you pick him up, he sits awkwardly in your arms, forever unsure of your love.
   Which is kind of why I identify with this kitty. Like, if I were a kitty, I would be Hobo.
   Shy? Perpetually scared? Defaults to running away? Uncertain of everything? Checkcheckcheckcheck.
   Okay, I realize that sounds a bit like a scaredy-cat. I suppose that's true. Unfortunately, that also has a a connotation of "coward."
   But, you know what, maybe - just maybe - living scared every day is a way of living brave. Hobo made it through some awful events, and now he battles his fears every day. Sometimes he loves a good scratch behind his fluffy ears, and sometimes he runs in a panic like Oh noes they're going to kill me.
    But he's also a sweetheart, as if enduring so much suffering has made him extra sensitive to others. If Sushi Li'l Ninja gets himself into a scrape, Mr. Hobo runs right over to make sure he's all right. When Miss Yoyo arrived, Hobo would stand guard while she slept. Now he licks food off her face and plays with her all night (when the big scary humans aren't around).
    So, yes, Hobo the Brave gives me courage. He reminds both me where I've been and reminds me of the love that helps me more forward.

I am Hobo. I am perpetually scared and I am perpetually brave.

    Let's hear it for Hobobo!
   
Love,
Kelley

*Quotations provided by Kate Danahy.