Tommy. A tough name for a tough cat. A play on the generic male name for Felis silvestris catus. Tommy, however, isn’t the kind that plays. He’s simi-feral, but domesticated enough (and certainly bright enough) that he makes the rounds of a number of houses in my daughter’s neighborhood, looking for handouts. And of course, my daughter and her husband oblige him with a dish of cat food and a water bowl. And when he can’t con a little food from the humans, he can do quite well on his on.

Tommy’s a survivor. You can tell by the missing tip of his left ear (your right looking at him), by the don’t-mess-with-me attitude, and by the subtly exposed claws you can see on both forepaws. You can also tell by the chunky, muscular body. Tommy’s not one to be messed with, and I certainly respect that.

Photo taken with the Panasonic Lumix G9 and Olympus 12-100mm PRO. Post processed in Lightroom 6 and Color Efex Pro 2.