…means “hello.” (And if you’re now singing, “to Jesus, your best friend,” then you, too, are a veteran of Vacation Bible School.)

But really: Jambo does mean “hello” in Swahili. And Jamba means “HELLOOOOOOOO MAMA!” in black-and-white cat. Let me explain.

Many moons about six months ago, an enormous black-and-white entity landed at Tabby’s Place. The shelter from which he came had given him the appropriate, if all too obvious, name of Jumbo.

Well, yes.

Being (a) sensitive to the big dude’s feelings and (b) a tad daft, we tweaked the name to Jambalaya. However, this was quickly and affectionately shortened to Jamba. Through chronic diarrhea, the indignities of being placed in the “restricted calorie suite,” and the indignities of living with Hawkeye, Jamba was a jovial love. Still, our jolly titan couldn’t seem to snag the eye of an adopter.

Until an AwesomeAdopter named Susan said jambo. In a manner of speaking. The rest is historia.

I’ll let Susan take it from here:

“Jamba is doing fine. He is now letting me brush him a little, so these photos show him a little better groomed with his new collar and tags. He purrs all the time and is very very sweet.

“His stools are uneven in quality, but I’m going to observe him carefully for another couple of days as he is still getting used to the new environment.

“He’s eating well and drinking water. He likes the sensitive stomach dry food, and I’m giving him 1/2 can of Fancy Feast Chicken Classic twice a day, plus some treats.

“He seems to perk up at night, so I’m spending a little time with him before my bedtime.

“Jamba is exceptionally intelligent as well as being sweet. I’ll try to keep you updated on each stage of his orientation here.”

Let’s review: Jamba has found a mama who is:
a) okay with his “uneven” stools
b) already lavishing him with at least three courses of yummitude daily
c) (rightly) convinced that he is “exceptionally intelligent”
d) making him as happy as he appears in these photos.

Jambo indeed. Hello to the life of your dreams, jumbo-sized sweetheart…and thank you for being the dream-deliverer, SuperSusan.

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