NAME: Billy

NICKNAMES: Billiam, and sometimes when he's in trouble, William Jefferson Kitten

OWNER: Reality Check blogger Sarah Kelber

HOW THEY MET: My husband and I adopted two kittens, Spencer and Zero, but Zero had distemper and died about a week after we brought him home. After a few weeks on his own, Spencer moved from rambunctious to uncontrollable, so we decided: "We need an alpha cat." Upon visiting the Maryland SPCA, we decided to look at the older cats instead of kittens, and Billy reached out a paw from a lower cage and tapped my husband on the leg. He purred like crazy when we paid a little attention to him, and he was super-affectionate. That day, he came home with us and immediately proved himself to be the alpha over little Spencer.

AGE: 10

HOME: Columbia

BREED: Domestic shorthair

BEST TRICK: He herds the other cats whenever people are leaving the house. He grabs hold of Spencer or our other cat, Lucy, by the nape with his teeth and places a paw on their sides to prevent them from trying to run out the front door. It's very helpful but annoys the other two to no end, especially when they aren't actually trying to escape.

FAVORITE ACTIVITY:  Napping anyplace that I just was. If I get up from the armchair to get a glass of water, when I come back, Billy is in my spot. If I get up in the middle of the night to tend to the baby, when I come back, Billy is on my pillow.

FUNNIEST MOMENT: After having two cats for seven years, we turned their lives upside-down in 2005 when we brought home a kitten, Lucy. Though Billy is very affectionate with us, he is not fond of strangers, so we thought he would not take it well. As it turned out, low-key Spencer lost his mind for two weeks, growling constantly, and Billy just rolled with the punches, treating Lucy with either indifference or kindness, depending on his mood.

QUIRKIEST MOMENT: Billy loves to roll around on concrete, on the rare occasions he gets to go outside. In 2005, he apparently got the same feeling from our recently renovated bathroom floor, which you can see in this video:

IF BILLY HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE:  If I trust you, you have my undying affection. If I don't, you won't even see me.

Photo by Sarah Kelber

See more photos of Billy here.

To see other pets that have been featured in Collared, click here.

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