Hillbilly the neighborhood cat and Prince McManamay, a yellow Lab, enjoy twice daily walks.

Street-wise Cat Amuses Neighbors

JENNIFER McMANAMAY
Staff writer

Prince and Hillbilly go their own directions.

Hillbilly the cat isn’t an official member of the McManamay household, but he seems to want to be. Although he is well cared for by a family who lives down the street, he is a familiar presence among the dog walkers in my Waynesboro neighborhood. He’ll tag along with just about anybody, but he seems to like Prince and me best.

Hillbilly has taken to sleeping on the front porch day and night, and he joins us for our twice daily walks through rain, snow or shine. This hasn’t gone unnoticed by my neighbors, several of whom have stopped me to say they enjoy watching our entourage. One family with kids has gone so far as to dub the cat Tigger and Prince — who ambles along as fast as his spry 14-year-old legs will take him — Eeyore.

Over the years, I’ve had several cats who followed me on dog walks, but none so faithfully and as brazenly as Hillbilly. This grizzled character with a tattered left ear and a bum right eye fears neither man nor dog and is a friend to all he meets.