Molly Bolt

Meet Molly Bolt, the newest member of our family.

We acquired a new family member last year in March, a former tom cat named Molly Bolt. Molly was a street-wise alley cat in Topeka taken in by a woman who rescues strays. She took him to the vet where he was checked over, neutered and given shots. Then she ran an ad in the free classifieds that Bill answered. Molly came with food, toys, cat litter and a questionable name, Mollie, hung on him by the rescuer’s husband who thought ending the name in “ie” was gender-appropriate. I disagreed and renamed him Molly Bolt. A complete name change was out of the question since the cat responded to “Molly." 

NOTE: A molly bolt is a specialized type of fastener with a screw head and expandable sleeve used to fasten objects to drywall. When a molly bolt is screwed into the wall, the sleeve expands, anchoring the bolt in the wall. This really has nothing to do with our cat except he needed a more gender-appropriate name.

We introduced Molly to his new home, the barn, and shut him in for a couple of days so he could adjust to the new digs. The day we expanded his world to include the outdoors, Cricket made a gigantic mistake—she treed him. It took several minutes of coaxing by Bill to get Molly down. Later, when Cricket stuck her nose too close, Molly laced it! He hasn't forgotten and reminds Cricket of that fact often. Cricket gives Molly a wide berth.

Molly Bolt messes with Cricket: He camps out beside the communal pet water bowl because he knows she won’t come near it while he’s there!  

Molly is missing the tip of his left ear but it’s not a casualty of a feline alley turf war. It's called "ear-tipping" and is a requirement by the Feral Cat Project when free-roaming felines receive free spaying/neutering surgeries performed by participating veterinarians. This mark identifies an altered free-roaming cat to avoid future transport, stress and anesthesia.

Our intent was for Molly to be a barn cat and earn his keep by controlling the mouse and rat population in both barns. However, he makes numerous attempts to upgrade his living accommodations. At some point in his past, he was apparently granted house privileges and free run of the premises, including the kitchen counter-top. Cats are not allowed in the kitchen in this house! Rule enforcement has led to a few alpha male confrontations between Molly and Bill. Molly is a smart cat and knows the boundaries, but obstinate enough to push those boundaries when he’s in the mood. We eliminate temptation by not leaving food out.

We grant house privileges when we are home during the day, but he is fed and sleeps in the barn. Among his favorite places to sack out in the house are:
my chair, 

the couch and on Bill on the couch,  

and in an open window. 

Molly is a hunter and stalks mice, rats and small rabbits. He earns his keep.

When I was growing up we had cats most of the time, but I don’t remember any of them liked to ride in vehicles the way Molly does. We open a door and he jumps right in. He’ll even ride in the trucks with loud motors; the sound doesn't seem to scare him. Riding shotgun in the Suzuki mini-truck with Bill has always been Cricket's rightful place. Molly invaded her space by claiming dashboard rights and, as you can see, Cricket is not at all happy about it. But, when Bill uses the mini-truck to check cattle in other pastures in our neighborhood, Molly stays home and Cricket rules!

He’s a cuddly, lovable cat, but has a bad habit of playing with his claws unsheathed. We warn guests and also advise them not to touch his stomach or they’ll pull back a lacerated hand! 

For all his arrogance, feistiness and stereotypical cat attitude, as Bill frequently comments, “Molly Bolt, you’re quite a cat!”