Looks like I'm still in time to wish everyone a Happy Goat Year, as tomorrow is day 15 of the Chinese New Year and consequently, the last day of festivities.
The cat and I had a frenetic CNY celebration, tougher on her than on me as she was forcibly uprooted from her comfort zone and (as far as she's concerned) kept locked up in a prison in an unfamiliar place.
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| Back in her kitty condo |
Upon arrival at my grandfather's place, Maxie was relegated into her kitty condo and kept safe in a room. This is both to avoid her freaking out and running into the open (we live in the countryside) and to prevent cat fights from occurring.
Maxie pretty much stayed in her room and I would periodically let her out of the cage to wander within the confines of the room, while confining myself with her during these periods. As far as Maxie's concerned, the least said about this episode of her life, the better. I shall accede to her wishes in this and introduce you to some of my grandfather's/uncle's (uncle's family lives with granddad) cats.
First, the two elder statesmen, the elder brothers of the colony:
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| Juju: ragdoll lookalike, extremely fluffy but shy of newcomers |
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| Jaja: Juju's slightly smaller (not necessarily younger) brother, also fluffy and loves lap naps |
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| Jaja the lapcat |
Then came the second litter of the currently adolescent kittens, Do, Re and Mi:
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| Do is Juju's favourite |
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| Re follows in Jaja's footsteps of being a human lover |
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| Including human's shoes |
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| Mi: the sole female of the colony (mummy just passed away recently), anti-social like her mum |
Both litters originated from the same mum, who sadly, passed away soon before these pictures were taken. She was an awesome huntress and climber, and none of our cats have ever needed to be rescued from the tree or wooden poles.
Juju and Jaja came from the same litter, and Juju was the dominant one, often edging Jaja out of the way in his pursuit of food. Both were extremely docile and human friendly, until for some unknown reason Juju suddenly became freaked out by new humans and would run away and hide for days on end, until he was hungry or the visitors left, whichever occurred sooner. When unafraid, Juju would allow anybody to pick him up and play with him, but he wouldn't linger long.
Jaja is the quintessential lap cat. He would let you do anything you wanted to him when he's sleepy. Pick him up and settle him on your lap, in whatever position you want, and he'll continue his doze. If he was wide awake, it depends on his mood. Never shy or aggressive, he'd just hop off your lap if he wasn't in the mood for cuddles or settle down nudging your palm to ask for chin tickles. He is also very curious and would be the first to investigate any newcomers to the home.
Do, or Dodo, is the only kitten from the second litter to inherit the fluffy gene. He is nowhere near as friendly as Jaja or the pre-freak out Juju, but would consent to be petted and picked up in exchange for treats. The moment you run out of treats, you run out of Dodo.
Re/Rere is the cuddliest among the kitten. Unlike Jaja, who'd let you pick him up, Rere is more forthcoming. He would twirl himself around your foot a few times, and if you petted him in the approved manner, he'd put his front paws on your lap and meow. If no objections were put forth, he'd invite himself onto your lap and just lay there, surveying the rest of the cats from his perch. Head rubs and chin tickles are all welcomed languidly.
Mi/Mimi is the anti-social kitty of the colony. Even with treats, it would be difficult to lure her into the open. She would submit to forced displays of affection if you were quick enough to catch her, but the moment there is a lull in your attention, she'd go poof before you could say "awww".
When we first arrived, none of the colony cats were to be seen. So, as soon as I set up Maxie's cage I pushed it (with her) into the room and forgot to close the door. Very quickly, loud caterwauling could be heard and I hurried to the room to be greeted by the sight of a curious Jaja encountering a furious Maxie.
"Hi there, pretty lass. What's a posh city girl like you doing in a place like this?" he seemed to say, open curiosity upon his face.
"Mrowlllll.....go away. I don't talk to strange cats. You smell weird and you look filthy. Leave me alone!" growled my kitty.
It was tempting to let them interact with each other but any savvy cat owner would let you know that putting two strange cats together form the get go was a recipe for disaster...so I shut the door. From time to time I'd go check in on Maxie (yeah, I suffer from furparent anxiety, so sue me), only to find her new suitor waiting outside for a glimpse of the new cat on the block.
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| Where's that city lass, James? |
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| Won't you let me in? |
It was comical the way he kept trying to get in, and I had to be extra vigilant to not accidentally let him in when I set Maxie out of the cage. Loud caterwauling interrupted the family picture session as I forgot to close the door and Jaja let himself in. It was a funny session, for sure, and I reckon if I had stayed longer I could let the two actually interact with each other after the 4th or 5th day (the amount of time it took for her to warm up to Garfield previously).
After all the visiting was done and I was ready to leave granddad's, I put Maxie in her travel crate and left it on the al fresco table for a few minutes while I finished loading up the car. Jaja's protege decided to pop in for a quick peek...
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| What's this contraption? |
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| There's a cat in there! |
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| So you're the girl my brother's gone all gaga over? |
Surprisingly, Maxie did not show an ounce of aggression towards Rere. I wonder if she fancies herself a cougar and likes them young, or if her maternal instincts came to the fore for the newly-orphaned kitten. Hmmm....food for thought.
