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B

o is a cat from away – way far away. He was born in Bonaire, a Dutch island off the coast of Venezuela, where he was adopted by Ashley and Carol Erwin as a kitten. Bo quickly adapted to life aboard their 45-foot sloop “Blind Date” and sailed the Caribbean for 6 years before settling in Oriental.

For easing into village life after tropical beginnings – even if it means substituting shrimp for lobster – TownDock.net names Bo Mister April.

Bo. He was named after Bonaire, the island of his birth.

Bo as a Bonaire boy. Ashely describes him as “6 lbs 9 oz of furry fun” and says he “has led an adventurous life.”

Bo’s favorite activity while cruising was fishing. Under way, Ashley and Carol trailed a “yo yo” line – a length of line stored on a plastic spool (instead of on a fishing reel.) A lure was tied to the end of the line. With luck, a large dolphin (the eating kind – not the mammal) would bite the lure and be hauled aboard, creating a cat’s delight: a cockpit would be filled with fish.

Bo supervises Ashley as he cleans a large dolphin. Ashley says Bo likes both raw and cooked fish. While living on board, he usually got a sushi appetizer before a dinner of fried fish.

While Bo developed a taste for dolphin, he learned that not all fish are the same. One day after the crew of Blind Date pulled in to St. Croix and dropped anchor, Bo scampered to the bow and “scarfed down” several flying fish that had landed on deck during the passage. They rather immediately flew back up….

Bo had no problem with Caribbean lobster once his humans cooked it up for him.

Bo, in his cruising days, with a crustacean in the cockpit. Bo prefers his lobster cooked. Now that he’s an Oriental resident, with shrimp the dominant seafood, he’s developed a taste for that, too.

After cruising the Caribbean aboard “Blind Date”, Ashley and Carol returned to the United States. For a few months, they docked in Georgia. Bo was allowed to roam free, to discover the world beyond the ship’s decks. Evenings, he returned to the boat with new crew members.

They were of the non-human sort.

Ashely says, “most boarded alive in Bo’s jaws, then were dropped on the cabin sole to run about.” The entertainment for Bo was to then watch Ashley and Carol “scurry after moles, mice, squirrels, lizards and birds.” There was, it is said, a flying squirrel that didn’t survive Bo’s recruitment efforts.

As for the more slithery of Bo’s would-be playmates, Ashley recalls that “the two snakes he brought home didn’t make it onboard as they were apprehended and freed before Bo came onboard.”

The cat walking the man. Bo takes Ashley for a stroll.

Bo learned to walk on a leash as a kitten – but only with his harness on. If he’s wearing his regular collar he knows it will break away and he won’t budge. Ashely says, “if he does decide to break away, he never gets far because he doesn’t run.” Bo “just moseys around the yard” til Carol picks him up.

Now that Bo is a landlubber his main hangout is Whittaker Pointe Marina, where he holds the lofty title of “Marina Cat”. Bo’s duties include making sure his food and water bowl are full, hanging out on the sofa in the main room, greeting marina folks, sitting in visitors’ laps and meowing in the men’s room where he can enjoy the echoes.

Now 10, Bo is becoming more of a homebody – especially in the winter. At home, his favorite place is on the ottoman in front of a fire. If no one’s had the foresight to light a fire for him, Bo will sit facing the fireplace and pout. This usually works. A master of human psychology, he exudes the same airs in the kitchen if dinner comes too slowly.

Heat seeking cat. Ottoman, Bo and a fire. All that lounging can make a cat thirsty. But Bo’s got that covered, too…..

Bo takes a sip from the tap.

Most cats are content with water from a bowl, but Bo prefers his drink closer to the source – the tap in the Erwin’s kitchen. His paws can’t do the job of turning on the spout, so he puts on that pout of longsuffering patience, sitting in front of that tap and waiting, waiting, wai—ting for someone to notice. Then he’ll drink his fill.

If you’re not careful, Ashley says, “you can find him sharing your glass of water.” Here, Bo challenges the notion a cat won’t put its head into a space wider than its whiskers.

So has Bo, native son of a faraway tropical island, given up the voyaging? Not yet. He still goes boating on Ashely and Carol’s power boat, Mermaid. The road calls, too. Bo’s logged 5,000 miles to New Mexico and back visiting family and friends and even dogs. His big accomplishment on this trip was crossing the Continental Divide.

Asked where Bo’s adventures might take him next Ashely says, “Who knows! He still has several lives left, ya know?”

Bo’s Bio

Celebrity Pet Most Resembles: Daniel Craig

Nicknames: Adventure Cat, Adapt a Cat, Marina Cat
Languages he speaks according to his vet papers: Dutch, Spanish and English
Favorite food Lobster, Oriental shrimp
Favorite Movie: The Lion King
Favorite TV show: Animal Planet – especially the elephants.

(photos provided by Ashley & Carol Erwin)

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