Max came over to visit yesterday.

He is one of my neighbor's cats.

He was also BusterBrat's very first friend.

Max is a Manx, one of those tailess cats. He first showed up unexpectedly in my backyard years ago as a gawky skinny teenager. BusterBrat was a little older and I wasn't sure how that was going to go over because Buster was not too friendly with most cats.

Surprisingly there was no friction. I would be shocked sometimes to look out the window and see Buster sprawled out resting on the patio and Max would be nuzzling him or jumping over him trying to play. Buster just squinted his eyes and didn't seem to pay much attention to him at all. By then I guess he was too old to care. 

Max came over just about everyday back then. He'd spend a few minutes trying to get a rise out of Buster then proceed to eat the rest of his canned food. I thought Max was cute the way he ate. He used his paw as a spoon and used to just sit there and dig out every little bit of food with his left paw. Buster was only interested in the gravy and pretty much left the meat. 

Max always tried to get into the house but I never let him. It was hard getting in and out of the house at times because he was so quick. One day I left for some errands and when I came home I noticed all the blinds were askew. Things looked "different" and out of place and as I walked through the house Max went darting by and out the door! Somehow he had snuck in as I left. And I'd been gone for 3 or 4 hours! Oh that cat! 

As time went on Max started getting a little persnickety and would sometimes hiss at Buster. Guess he was growing up and getting a little more dominant. He even started hissing at me so I used my Scram Patrol device I bought that supposedly lets out a sound to scare unwanted pests away. It doesn't hurt the animal, just sends out a laser beam with a sound that of course we can't hear. I tried it on Buster once for the heck of it and he just looked at me lazily like,"what the heck are you doing?" And he wasn't deaf by any means so who knows if the dang thing worked? LoL.

But it worked on Max. I'd be in the front yard and see him getting ready to saunter into the backyard where Buster awaited and turn it on. He'd run away like crazy. It got to the point where I'd just stand there with it and he'd run. I know that sounds mean but I didn't want any fights. Buster had had his share,believe me. One even left a permanent slit on the top of his ear that never mended. It gave him character.

So eventually, Max stopped coming over.

Until a few days ago. I hadn't seen him in years and almost didn't recognize him. He's filled out now and a little chubby. I was hesitant to reach down and pet him but he came right up to me and rubbed on my legs. Which shocked me because he never used to be so friendly.

Age must have mellowed him. Yesterday I stood outside on the back porch with him and he went back and forth purring against my legs. I gave in, he was just too cute, and bent down to pet him. He loved it. Couldn't get enough. He stood at the door looking at me through the screen door for an hour or more after I came inside. Went back out and petted him. Then I opened the gate and he went on his merry way. I THOUGHT. Two seconds later I turned around and he was squeezing through the hole in the fence and coming right back. It was hard to get in the house again because he's STILL trying to follow me in. So I rubbed his back some more.

We're friends again. All is forgiven. 

The Scram Patrol is still out in the garage. Haven't used it for years.

I guess I can throw it out now.