A man never considered himself a cat guy but had his heart stolen by a “grumpy looking” cat with big cheeks and droopy eyes.
Bob never pictured himself as a “cat guy” or having a feline companion due to his allergies. That was the case, at least, until two months ago.
When Bob and his wife, Jo-Anne, arrived home from their travel, they learned about a cat who had been rescued from the bitter cold, covered in snow.
“Our friends told us about this incredible grumpy looking cat with big cheeks, droopy eyes, and no neck. Bob said, ‘Well, he sounds perfect just like me,'” Jo-Anne shared with Love Meow.
Shuswap Paws Rescue Society took him in after he was rescued, provided vet care, and began searching for a foster home for the big-cheeked boy.
Bob and Jo-Anne agreed to meet the cat in their house. “He walked right in like the boss he is and rubbed up against us. We expected him to be skittish or shy, but he absolutely wasn’t.”
He strutted around with his commanding presence and instantly earned the name El Jefe, the Boss in Spanish. He plopped down in front of Bob with an invitation to rub his belly.
Bob was surprised at how friendly the cat was and how quickly he took to them. “I can tell already this is going to work. I can almost cry. I don’t even like cats,” he said as he held back a tear.
Jefe had some frostbite wounds and needed a dental, but he was content with a roof over his head and a loving family that appreciated him. “We said right then and there, ‘We will foster him,'” Jo-Anne shared.
That night, Jefe wedged between the couple in bed and fell soundly asleep. “My husband sneezed a fair bit but now takes allergy pills before bed. By the next night, Jefe was sleeping between our heads.”
As if on a mission to win Bob over, on the fifth night, Bob woke up to Jefe grooming his hair, tending to him like his own. “That was definitely a sign of affection and love for Bob.”
Jefe became Bob’s shadow and insisted on keeping him company everywhere he went.
While Bob refinished a table in the garage, Jefe lay under it. He didn’t even budge when the compressor in front of him was turned on and continued watching Bob as he sanded the table.
“When Bob was sneezing a lot, I said, ‘Well, perhaps we can’t keep him?’ He gave me a very hard ‘No.’ Jefe is ours forever and has his home here.”
Jefe goes on adventures with Bob daily and rarely leaves his side.
“He sits near Bob while he chops wood outside for our fire pit. He has gone with us in my husband’s old pickup truck. Bob’s favorite old dog, Reggie, used to go in that truck doing house renos all the time, so Bob loves having El Jefe ride along with him.”
Jefe is attached to Bob at the hip, and the two share similar traits and habits. Wherever Bob goes, Jefe follows.
Bob wakes up sneezing sometimes at night as Jefe is right next to his face, but he wouldn’t trade Jefe for anything in the world.
