Talk about a minor character. In the TV series, Bush is just a bumbling hair blind sheep dog living in a music store. I tended to ask why Cleo was living with Bush. Of course, the easy answer is that they are owned by the same person or people as pets.

My take is that Bush was there first and found Cleo when she was just a newborn kitten. West Finster used to be a bad place for strays and lone pets. Packs of stray dogs happily killed cats and lone stray dogs. Pets like Bush were safe behind walls, windows, and doors.

Cleo's mother was a stray cat, who had to move because the place she wanted to raise her litter was being overturned in the name of human progress. In the middle of moving her litter of five kittens, she was found by a pack of stray dogs and killed carrying one of her kittens. The dogs tracked the scent to the other kittens that had already been moved and killed them and were in the process of backtracking to find any other kittens.

Bush was a bit younger then and a big tough dog, and went to investigate what were the blood-curdling sounds of the mother cat being killed. By some chance of fate, Bush stumbled on one last kitten still hidden as the strays dogs found her.

Bush went full "Chuck Norris" on the dogs mauling the entire pack to protect that kitten. What most dogs did not know until that day was Bush was a tough old ranch dog and was used to fending off coyotes and holding his own against wolves. A pack of skinny strays mutts didn't bother him. The fact that they were going to kill a newborn kitten, did.

Bush took the kitten home to the music store. His owners adopted the kitten and named her Cleo. Bush took it upon himself to protect the kitten and be her "dad". Cleo was bottle fed until she could eat on her own.

Bush went to see if he might be able to find Cleo's mother... He did... and the remains of Cleo's siblings. He buried the remains in the park under an oak tree away from the jogging paths and play areas.

As Cleo got older she began to ask where she came from, but Bush would not answer. Rather then lie to her face he acted like an imbecile, blinded by his hair. Cleo grew up believing he did not know where her mother was.

As Cleo matured, she filled out the figure of a beautiful cat, and attracted the attention of a lot of suitors and still does. Bush usually put the imbecile routine aside enough to act like a disapproving father and drove all of them off. But it was Riff-Raff who managed to earn Bush's trust enough to eventually ask Cleo out. Before their first date, Bush took Riff-Raff aside showing the cat that he was no fool and actually much smarter than the cat.

"I trust you, cat. But if anything happens to Cleo she did not want, I will hold you responsible and I will eat you." the sheep dog said lifting one side of his bangs to reveal a blood red eye glaring into the cat's soul.

Those words echo in the back of Riff-Raff's head every time he sees Bush, even though now Bush doesn't mind. He trusts Riff-Raff and more importantly trusts Cleo to take care of herself.

Bush still has not told Cleo what happened to her mother and siblings. She often acts like she doesn't respect Bush, but she really does. He is the one thing in her life she has always counted on.

Bush doesn't advertise it, but when Cleo is out or wants to have the store to herself, he is out there taking down dangerous strays like a street fighting vigilante. While he has never crossed paths violently with Heathcliff or Spike, Bush has been seen fighting and effortlessly winning often appearing to stand still as he batters enemies with nearly invisible punches and kicks.

He dearly does not want to have what happened to Cleo's family to happen again and has become one of West Finster's most potent defending animals. He does it because he loves Cleo like a daughter.