Boogie loves two things: riding in his stroller and wearing clothes and hats. The ‘hat’ that brings the most stares and giggles is his lion hat.
Everyone walking past him sitting in his stroller are confused about what kind of animal he is, so they ask, “What is it?” and Dave responds, “A baby lion,” then he teasingly laughs and says, “It’s my cat Boogie. Then photos are taken and 'The Boogiemeister’ and I continue our journey until the next curious walker stops us.
Boogie’s adoption was kismet, ‘an accident’, totally unplanned. Dave made a quick trip to the vet clinic to pick up his 26-pound Maine Coon, Mr. Tai Chi’s, favorite food when the conniving veterinary casually asked, “We have kittens in the back if you want to take a look?”
“Not intending to bring another pet home with my cat food, I knew I should not look,” confessed Dave. “When I saw the short hair, white feet kitten and his playful disposition; it was a fait accompli, a done deal. His cuteness imbedded into my heart. I brought him home, put him on the rug and he ran over to Mr. Tai Chi Wong Coon Baby Bok Choi. They were instantly best friends, and two cats are always better than one.”
Dave named his new family member Solomon Boogie from the HBO series, ’The Wire’. He was waiting for just the right name for the kitten. Two names from the TV series appealed to him giving the kitty a dignified full name.
“Boogie only knows a life of socialization, “ said Dave. “I began leash walking him at nine weeks of age. Then at six months and he has been riding in style in his blue pet stroller. On a regular basis, he rides to our destination then walks ½ mile home on his 26 foot retractable leash. The smiles of the people who greet us throughout the day gives us great pleasure. To brighten a person's day when they see us is a gift to us both.
It takes only a nano second to attract a crowd, all snapping photos, seeking information, and we love it. Of course, he’s a cat, so Solomon can be less than cooperative at times, but nevertheless he is still entertaining. Cats, you gotta love them. Boogie is a real ‘Gomer Pyle’. I love everything he does. He makes me laugh all the time.”
Maybe Dave should consider putting a “TIP” jar on the top of the cat stroller to help pay for Tai, his 26-pound Maine Coon’s, special diet.
Like Boogie, Dave began walking Tai as a kitten. He thought that the cat was going to be great on the leash but, as it turned out, he freaked out in the daylight. So, now Tai goes for his two block walk after dark on his harness and leash. Once he indicates, 'OK. I am done. Let’s go home’, they do.
“I love watching my cats chase each other around the house,” said Dave. “The zoomie session looks like a Ferrari chasing a Mac Truck. Boogie is fast and Tai is slow.
To keep his weight up, Tai has a brilliant cat maneuver that he wishes to share: “When my food dish is ‘almost empty’ I scratch one of my servant’s living room canvas pictures until he ‘gets the picture’ and wakes up to do his duty of refilling my bowl,” meows Tai. “I resent the squirt bottle that Dave points at me, so I run and jump up on the counter to let him know, ‘You are late. It’s about time. I could have starved to death.”
