Bear and Bandit - A Tale of Interspecies Bro-catmance

Bandit and Bear enjoying some computer time

Now as much as Bear likes to rant about the kittehs that run the house, nothing is cuter than the Bro-catmance that is Bear and Bandit. Bandit soon came to realize that Bear was going to be a permanent fixture in our home. Once this happened, he immediately decided that he and Bear were going to be best friends - whether Bear wanted it or not. At first, Bear had no part of this whatsoever. Sir Antonio Bandito was very persistant. At night, Bandit would sit on Bear's stomach and begin purring and licking Bear's chin. Then the Alpha Cat would follow Bear around the house as if acting like a tour guide - making sure Bear knew where all the important house landmarks were: the kitty litter, food bag and bowls, cat toy box. Bear slowly started warming up to the giant cat whose purr can drown out the sound of the near-by train tracks.

Their bro-catmance really took off after Bear moved in last July. We had got laptops and Bear's favorite hobby when I am at work is to be on the laptop. Bandit started climbing onto Bear's stomach demanding to be petted while Bear was typing away. Then Bandit started insisting on nightly "walks" which means that when Bear gets home from work, he picks up Bandit and brings our big dude out onto the porch to get some fresh air. Bandit likes to sit in Bear's arms and watches the traffic and sniffs the air. After about five minutes, Bear's arms are tired and Bandit is ready to go back inside.  None of the other cats are even remotely interested in going outside. (Why go outside when there is air conditioning, toys, and food bowls inside???)

Now, almost a year later, Bandit and Bear hang out a lot. Many a night I have come home from work and see Bear on his computer with Bandit in his lap. Below is my favorite picture of the two of them.