How dating Frances made me BobCat!

In hometown San Diego, my parents didn’t have the foresight to name me BobCat. Thankfully, I was fortunate to find my calling with Frances' assistance. I’ve always had a special love for animals. When young, I wanted to be a fireman because you got a Dalmatian. Quickly, I realized that I wanted the dog, not the job.

After three years of dating, Frances Mooney and I married (1973) at a no-fuss courthouse ceremony. Instead of a honeymoon, we went out that afternoon and adopted a cat: sharing our wedding night with Beauregard, a long-haired tabby. All total, twenty-five cats and two dogs have lovingly nurtured us through our fifty-plus years together.

In 1986, we moved to Frances’ former family home, and immediately began remodeling it for our cats. Soon our felines were frolicking on one hundred and forty feet of overhead walkway. The Cats’ House instantly became a media magnet, attracting countless print and television crews. Surprisingly, our “feline fantasyland” inspired cat lovers worldwide to elevate their cats’ lives, also.

"Cat lovers have come to recognize this innovative couple as two of the founders of the feline enrichment movement. Today cat behaviorists have endorsed many of their ideas as essential to keep indoor cats both mentally and physically fulfilled.”—Sandy Robins, CATS USA 2011 ANNUAL

In 2013, Frances and I purchased a twenty-six-year-old RV (without having ever driven one), and moved our family (eight cats and a chihuahua) to Fredericksburg, Virginia to experience Mid-Atlantic seasons and East Coast culture. With smoke spewing from its rear, our bargain motorhome broke down the first mile of our cross-country journey: then, again on the second day in Road Forks, New Mexico (population 15). After five weeks of repair, our family finally ventured forward on our travel across America, arriving in Virginia two months after our initial departure (usually, a thirty-seven hour trip).

As an every-day-is-the-same-weather San Diegan, it was a delight experiencing new views, people, forests, fireflies, rain, snow, black ice, tornado warnings, and lightning storms (too close of an encounter — the tree across the street from our house was struck by a lightning strike).

Unexpectedly in 2021, the loss of a beloved relative brought us back to San Diego to share lives with family. Since our return, Frances and I have embraced our hometown with a fresh perspective, reconnected with friends, and are currently engaged in self-publishing photo books and print products.

For more than forty-five years, I have had the privilege of working in the photographic arts as an author, photographer, gallery owner, and a founder of the Museum of Photographic Arts (MoPA).