As most of you know, my mother’s cat, Smokey, is my model for Rags in the Klepto Cat Mysteries. He is the bigger-than-life, confident, sociable, clever, and interesting half Ragdoll cat my mother adored for almost nine years.
When Mama accepted the gift of a kitten, she had hoped for a lap cat—an indoor cat that would follow her around and curl up in her lap throughout the day. That wasn’t Smokey’s plan.
Oh, he spent time indoors. He loved sprawling in Mama’s lap and did so for about an hour almost daily. He had his favorite napping spots in the house. And he always came inside to greet guests. But he was an out-of-doors type of cat—and an avid hunter.
Now that Mama is gone and Smokey has a new home, he is a total indoor cat—a convert. 
Yes, a cat can change his ways. No one ever thought he could be reformed—believe me, we tried over the years. He seemed to think we were torturing him when we wouldn’t allow him to go out. The only time he chose to stay in was when it was raining or when the gardeners or tree-trimmers were there. Of course, we locked him in at night.
Smokey was an only cat for almost all of his 9 years. Now he has a sister. It took him a while to accept her, but now they share the cat tree and his favorite table (from his former home) and the two of them actually play together sometimes. Watch out, Kitty Boo-Boo, the gentle giant can play rough.
Mealtime can still be a problem as Smokey’s on a special diet, but his new caretakers (one of Mama’s granddaughters and her family) are doing their best to iron out that situation and keep him from dipping into forbidden fruits.
So happy to hear he is doing so good