About

Cat Guy Tourette at Mt. Sunapee, wearing the Shaun White collection by Burton

About

My name is Bob, AKA "Cat Guy Tourette" and I was age seven when diagnosed with Tourette syndrome a neurological disorder characterized by repetitive vocal and motor tics affecting about 200,000 people in the United States. I am now age forty-one and still have it but have chosen to do something to help others with this disease and also myself while pursuing my passion for snowboarding, something that gives me great relief from the tics. The Disorder is named after the French neurologist Dr. Georges Gilles de la Tourette. It is an inherited disorder and there is no cure.

I will raise money for TSA by donations tied to miles of terrain snowboarding, since I am not much into getting big air like pro snowboarders, although I have been doing some small jumps on the uneven trails. I ride regular stance, meaning my left foot is in front. I am also duck footed so my rear binding is in the negative direction, this does have an advantage for doing a fakie, going backwards on the board and the halfpipe. My front binding is at 21 degrees & my rear binding at -15 degrees. I have a K2 select 158cm snowboard, K2 bindings, and boots. I have the Shaun white collection for my outfit, Giro helmet, and Oakley goggles, so I tend to blend in with the younger snowboarders. There are many older snowboarders than myself. Grays on Trays Although I am not gray since I am bald, besides I enjoy the younger more hip look. I also stand out, that’s good for promoting my cause. While on the ski lift, I talk with many younger riders as well as older riders. Snowboarding is the fastest growing sport in the United States There are many folks that were skiers that have converted to snowboarding. I was a skier for many years, and love snowboarding, I wish I did it sooner; it’s like being a kid again. You can find me often cruising down the trails at Mt. Wachusett located in Princeton MA At my age I am big on safety, I wear protective shorts under my snowboard pants and also soft shell knee pads both from extreme sports. I have never had any broken bones and would like to keep it that way, although I am getting bolder and challenging myself in the terrain park. Mt Sunapee has an excellent progression terrain park called the Sobe freeride zone serviced by its own chair lift and a new 4000 watt sound system.

My Story

A few years ago I went through a divorce as my ex-wife did not understand my disorder. She never gave a reason why. This was a life changing experience for me both financially and emotionally and the biggest reason that I started this website. I now want to educate people about what Tourette Syndrome is really like to live with. There are websites and television shows that make fun of the disorder and make it like people with TS use profane language often when in fact they do not. Less than 15% of persons with Tourettes use foul language. There are also some really good shows like the HBO documentary " I have Tourettes, But TS does not have me". I do not take any medication ever since a bad reaction to Haloperidol almost twenty five years ago. Living with TS when I was growing up in the Seventy's was difficult for me as most people had no clue what TS was. I took many different medicines at that time, like a guinea pig, Most people with Tourettes have unique talents and many have careers as doctors, lawyers, and other professions. Jim Eisenreich has Tourettes and was a major league baseball player. Steve Wallace the NASCAR driver also has it. Dan Ackroyd the actor and comedian also has tourettes. I am for example, well organized. I have to keep everything in it's place. I hardly ever use profane language, the biggest thing I do is repeat things that others say. or come up with weird nicknames for people, for example: the name Rafael (Rafy duck) or Charlie (Charlie brown) There are times I can be real quiet and other times my vocal and motor tics even annoy me. This is the nature of the disorder as it can be suppressed for sometime but eventually needs to be released. I try to avoid stress as much as possible and limit my consumption of sweets and do not drink coffee as these make me worse. One of the worst problems for me are sleeping problems. I also have a condition known as Alopecia Areata, meaning I lost most my hair, do to my immune system attacking my hair follicles.
Bobby Tourette with gold chain and cat pendant
I like to do volunteer work with different environmental organizations. I like to recycle as much as possible, doing my responsible part for the earth. I would like to find my soul mate, someone who does not care that I have TS., cares for the environment, enjoys the outdoors, likes animals and most of all allow me to fulfill my mission of raising money for TSA to find a cure. I would like to find sponsors for either kayaking or snowboarding. I have been changing my self image, as I am tired of being lonely. I like to wear a gold necklace with a cat pendant on it, to display my love of the feline. I think cats are awesome creatures, The things cats get into, tricks, things they can learn, and the different things they will eat. They are so independent, yet miss you when your gone, they give unconditional love. I would like to have a home with my future partner that has all kinds of cat related items. I love cats, I have three of them, and all spayed females. Their names are from youngest to oldest, Midnight, fluffy, and Elizabeth. Midnight, I adopted from a litter, Fluffy, was a stray who loved to sun herself on a large granite rock in New Hampshire in the woods along my old backyard. Elizabeth, I adopted from someone who could no longer keep her, she is a Persian cat, and she likes to cry when she finds her toy and I am in bed. Elizabeth loves peanut butter, maple syrup, popcorn and more. Fluffy loves butter, Midnight loves cheddar cheese. They each have their own no longer used by human dishes for their moist food. They share the same dry food dish. Midnight likes to play fetch. Elizabeth loves to be vacuumed.

I would like to have an environmental friendly home using solar power and other technologies. I am a true handyman, something I learned from my father when I was younger, during the summer I would go to work with him. I can build or fix most anything around the home and like old houses, as there is so much you can do to them, the house I had in southwestern NH. was built in 1839. I had invested almost $30,000 in the home and yard, not to mention all the time I spent on it. 1839 duplex Troy, NH I would like to have a nicely landscaped yard with shrubs, and flowers, as I also like to garden and do landscape work. I enjoy adventure sports like kayaking and snowboarding, both are great exercise and allow me to be myself, as conditions constantly change and give me excellent relief of my tics.. I also like to inline skate, and hike in the mountains. I enjoy all kind of music now, before I was married I mostly listened to oldies, and classic rock, and at one time country music. I enjoy website design as you can see by this website.