Robbie is named after Robbie Burns of whom I am a fan. Robbie (Burns that is), had a reputation for being something of a ladies man, and a rantin' lad. Just like my Robbie.

My Robbie was a stray who turned up in the early winter of 1997, a very cold and snowy time, and decided to live in my garage. I began feeding him and made a warm bed. Eventually I was able to pet him. This took about 3 weeks. A few days later he brought his pregnant girlfriend to stay as well :-) Then I had two cats to feed (and 3 cats and 2 dogs in the house). When it hit -30 I knew I couldn't leave them outside, even with a snug bed. So off to the vet, where the female was adopted by one of the technicians, and Robbie was fixed and came home with me where he has been ever since. I had two German Shepherds at the time and he took to them immediately. The cats he wasn't so keen on. He still thinks of himself as a dog, still rants and roars at times, though at the age of somewhere around 16 years, with slightly less vigour, and as he became an indoor cat when he moved into my house he is not longer quite the lad he was :-) He is, however, the most affectionate cat I've known, with an arresting personality! He behaves like a dog much of the time and there are people who swear he is a dog in disguise.