There's a whisper down the line at 11.39
When the Night Mail's ready to depart,
Saying 'Skimble where is Skimble has he gone to hunt the thimble?
We must find him or the train can't start.'
All the guards and all the porters and the stationmaster's daughters
They are searching high and low,
Saying 'Skimble where is Skimble for unless he's very nimble
Then the Night Mail just can't go.'
Bandit and his brother were born June 22, 2018 across the street in a neighbour's house. Their mother(who now lives with a friend of ours and has been named Ariel)had been brought home from the family farm in Alberta which was in the process of being sold. I first saw them at the tender age of 2 days. My grandson Tristan came with me to view the tiny babies. There was Tommy, Lily, another girl, Davy, and Fat Ba-t-rd, because he was the biggest.
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| Bandit and Tristan, August 2018, giving Tristan the "you're my hooman" look | Bandit and his Mommy, Ariel, September, 2018 |
We weatched them all grow up to 8 weeks and now they were ready to come to their new homes. I had spoken for Fat B, who I had immendiately named Bandit. So Bandit came home to his new home. A day or two later Tommy's new family brought him back because their older cat didn't like him. So I spoke up for him and he joined his brother at our house. Bandit and I bonded from the first moment we saw each other. He was always giving me that "You're MY hooman" look. I think he must have had some Rag Doll in him because he was so floppy and cuddly.
Bandit and Tommy were delighted to be together. Tommy was very aloof at first, but then when he realized that this was his home he started to warm up to us and we to him.
Bandit grew into a very Maine Coon cat, with Bengal markings in his coat. He was beautiful. He was also the apple of Tristan's eye. Tristan loved Bandit so much he called him his baby. Everytime Tristan was here he wanted to play with Bandit and when he left to go home he'd make sure he gave Bandit a kiss and tucked him in for his nap.
January, 2019
Above and Below: February, 2019
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Stealing a kiss from Dexter |
Bandit was born in a home with a Great Dane, who was so kind and gentle. Charlie thought the kittens were his responsibility. So Bandit was happy to find another big dog to snuggle with. |
August 12, 2019, I was getting ready to bring the cats in for the night. I was putting on my shoes and I saw Bandit and Tommy sitting there at the top of the driveway. I walked to the front door and looked, but both had run off. I called and Tommy came racing around the corner but no Bandit. I continued to call for an hour. The neighbour who had given us Bandit heard me and she came over to help. We called and walked the neighbourhood until it was too dark to see. The next morning I alerted the Block Watch and they sent out pics of our Baby. Also that morning the neighbour called and said she had review her security tape of the evening before. Now we live out on acreage, so the houses are not close together. There are 10 houses on our street which is a cul-de-sac. We all have very long driveways to our homes. At about the same time I was heading to the door, she saw a gray van move slowly down the street, turn around in the cul-de-sac and stop at the end of our driveway. She saw the door open and a man got out and ran towards our driveway. He came running back, jumped in the van and took off very fast. She couldn't see the license plate on the tape, so she had left the tape as soon as he had jumped out of the truck and started running to the road where the van was, but by the time she got there she could only see him turn the corner and flee. We think Bandit was catnapped.
All my cats are trained to come when called. I was outside calling within 2 to 5 mins after I saw him at the top of the driveway. He couldn't have gone far enough to be out of earshot and Bandit especially was alway the first to come when called. We do have coyotes, but we never heard anything that might indicate he'd been taken by a coyote and we were outside at the time he went missing. Bandit was a very friendly, loving cat, anyone could have grabbed him and I think that's what happened. For weeks we patrolled the area, putting up posters, searching further and further away. I called a pet search company, who explained that with the dry weather his traces would be gone. If it had been rainy it would have been better. Tristan was devastated by the loss of his Baby.
We still keep looking and waiting, we love our Bandit and hope that maybe one day he will find his way home.
Our last picture of Bandit, July 16, 2019
First of all, there's the name that the family use daily......Bandit
But I tell you, a cat needs a name that's particular..........Bandikins
Deep and inscrutable singular Name..............................El Bandito
