Whenever middle-aged desert tour guide Forrest Bryant Johnson went out on his daily walks into the Mojave, all was usually peaceful and serene. But one beautiful summer day in 1987, Forrest heard a cry of distress. Following the cries, he came upon a small bobcat kitten, injured, orphaned, and desperately in need of help. So Forrest took his new feline friend home for a night. But when the little … little “trooper” clearly needed some more time to recoup, that night turned into two nights, a week, and eventually nineteen years. And so Trooper became a part of the Johnson family.
And in those nineteen years, Trooper lived his nine lives to the fullest. He explored desert flora and fauna around him, befriending kit foxes, jackrabbits, desert tortoises, and other creatures and getting into mischief along the way. Trooper became a “big brother” to stray tabby Little Brother, teaching, guiding, and protecting Brother on the pair’s adventures and misadventures. He became a beloved patient at his local vet, and cherished housemate of Forrest’s wife, Chi. And Trooper even managed to melt the icy heart of a tough guy neighbor. But most of all, throughout his nineteen years, Trooper became Forrest’s best friend, as the two shared each other’s worries and frustrations, musings and rants, joys and laughter.
Harrowing and heartfelt, Trooper: The Bobcat Who Came in from the Wild is for any reader who ever had their heart stolen by their pet.
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I loved this story of an extraordinary relationship between a man and a wild/pet bobcat set in the Mojave Desert. Keep tissues on hand for the inevitable end of any animal story.
Forest Johnson and his wife Chi lived lived in the Mojave Desert. One morning on a walk Forest heard the distress cry of a Bobcat kitten. He could tell the mother and a sibling kitten had been killed by coyotes. But one had escaped and needed help. He took it home to nurse it back to health and release it back into the wild. Although that is usually the best thing to do this kitten turned adult Bobcat was named Trooper and spent 19 years partly tame and partly wild. Trooper roamed free and could have left at anytime but formed a bond with the author. It is a beautiful true story of the bond a human and an animal can have.
Trooper is the delightful and informative story of a rescued bobcat kitten and the many years and experiences he shared with the author. As a relatively new resident of Nevada, I learned a tremendous amount of information regarding wildlife and vegetation of this region.
Lovely true story about life with a rescue bobcat.
Very touching and heartfelt.
A very interesting wildlife book about a rescued bobcat that will keep you entertained and enlightened.
Fantastic book. What a great story.
This is a wonderful surprising saga of an amazing and love filled relationship . I k know I will read it again.
This was a charming book. A person adopts a bobcat kitten (all others had been killed quite possibly by coyotes) from the desert area where he lives. You follow the growing up of the bobcat, the friend it makes with a cat and the various adventures that happen. One gets to know some of the neighbors and their reaction and what happens in a desert area.
This was a really good book. I loved it. That Bob Cat was adorable and really smart.
This book was Awesome!
I thoroughly enjoyed this true story about a pet bobcat. The author who rescued the bobcat, developed a wonderful relationship with the wild cat. It is a great story! Enjoy!
Fascinating relationship. Very enjoyable read!
I loved it was wonderful to know how loving this little bob cat could be was an amazing story
A wonderful true and moving story about a deep and unusual friendship.
I loved this book and I loved the author, the world needs more people like Johnson!
Wonderful book. Loved Trooper, his people and his animal friends. I learned a lot about the desert and desert animals that I didn’t know. I highly recommend this book.
Well written!
Well-organized story of the domestication of a wild bobcat kitten and his interactions with his family and his environment. Excellent!
I loved this book so much! It is one of the best books I have read in a long time. It is a wonderful story about a pet bobcat and his bobcat friends. I am so happy that this beautiful book was written.
I loved this as it parells life with domestic kittens. Fun read.