I had just graduated from nursing school. I was finally able to move out of the small studio apartment I had lived in for three years. I moved in with a former co-worker, who was getting a divorce. She told me about a litter of kittens that was born. She then asked me what color of cat I wanted.
I loved cats, period. Did color matter? Not really . . but I thought about my mom's black cat, so black was on my mind.
The next afternoon, my roommate brought home two kittens. One was her white kitty, that she named Snowball. The two furballs were eight weeks old. Then I saw . . . him. He was black and white. Little did I know, these cats had a name. Tuxedo cats. Now . . . what would I name him?
"Name him Sylvester . . . or name him Felix," she suggested. Okay, I thought . . . now we all know these would be after two well-known tuxedo cats . . . but I needed more information, like, what is this little guy's personality? I observed . . .
He and Snowball were running and jumping along the fireplace logs. These kitties were fun to watch. I observed my guy;s back legs making jumping movements like a frog.
Hmmmm . . . Frogger???
I remember calling my mom to tell her about my new furry friend, briefly mentioning the idea of "Frogger". She expressed that she was happy I had finally gotten a kitten.
Just as quickly as I got off the phone, I said, "Nah", to the Frogger moniker. Better left for the video game, I thought.
I looked at his cute face. His black fur draped over his face, with a trace of white reminded me of a mask. And his personality . . . nicely mischeivous. And he stole my heart.

Hence . . . Bandit.

Little did I know that on that November day in 1992, that this would be the beginning of a 20-year bond.