I first met JJ in 2006. He introduced himself to me in the way that I now know he introduced himself to everyone. I intially laid eyes on him as I was heading toward my very first class at Witter Farm. He was sitting on the table studying all the students that walked past him. I said something like "Aww! Hello pretty kitty!" and gently reached out to pat his darkly striped head, or maybe even scratch him under his tawny chin...
JJ returned my gesture of peace and good will with glaring green eyes, a nasty expression and flashing claws.
As time went on, I got to see JJ welcome countless students just as he had welcomed me. Sometimes he would swat unsuspecting students from his post next to Rick's coffee maker on the table as they made their way to class. Sometimes he would swat hungry students from his perch of top of the refrigerator as they reached for their lunches. Sometimes he would simply saunter into the classroom or office, leap directly onto whatever was being worked on at that table, and then swat whomever tried to oust him from their workspace. When he wasn't harrassing students, JJ spent his time patrolling the farm harassing turkeys, pigeons, squirrels and the few remaining naive mice that he must've missed the day before.
JJ had everyone trained to open doors for him (whether they knew it or not), and he came and went as he pleased.
One day I saw Mark holding and him and patting him (and not bleeding from any of his digits). I think I even heard JJ purring. My first thought was "Where did that cat come from?" then when I realized it was JJ, I thought something along the lines of "Hmm, so JJ DOES have a nice side..." and I vowed that maybe someday I too could become JJ's friend...
It took from 2006 to 2010 for JJ to warm up to me. I talked to him, fed him and tried to pat him. I brought him treats, made him toys and shared my lunch with him. I ALWAYS opened the door for him. Eventually the swatting became more of a claw-less force of habit than an actual opinion of me. One day in 2010, I coaxed out a tiny purr. I knew right then that I had finally been added to his short list of "buddies".
In 2011 JJ began a habit of pouncing onto my keyboard while I worked in my office, when I tried to shoo him away from typing things like "kkkkkkkkkkkk,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,//////////////" in the middle of whatever I was doing, he would just rub on my face and continue "typing". If I moved him down to the floor, he just jumped back up again. Yep, we were buddies alright. JJ still swatted other people though.
Mark says that a cat is something that a person could spend their whole life studying and still not understand. I think this fits JJ perfectly.
JJ was the embodiment of freedom and independence. He absolutely radiated confidence. He regularly demonstrated his abilities and athletic prowess by dancing around on the rafters in the dairy barn with the pigeons.
JJ touched a vast number of people (litterally and figuratively). From welcoming new students ("aww look! a kitty!"), to stalking everything that moved ("gross! is that a weasel's head in the doorway?") to surveilling large tours of people from and undisclosed location ("what is that thing in the rafters?? i think its following me!"). JJ owned the farm, and everyone knew it.
JJ was not mean-spirited in any way, he simply did not care (AT ALL) if you liked him or approved of his actions. He would be doing whatever he wanted regardless of how you felt about it.
JJ was a truly great cat, and was loved by many because he always was himself.
Rest in peace Buddy. Thank you for being a part of my life.