WE ARE CHIKI NEKO

SHAUN'S YAWN

When Shaun yawns, watch out. He becomes--THE SHAUN MONSTER!

Here comes the SHAUNSTER!

This is Shaun. Also known as 'Shaun-shaun' (affectionately) and the 'Shaun Monster' or 'Shaunster'. Shaun is a big cat, which is why he gets that last nickname. One woman on campus when she first saw him said, "Look at him. He's as big as a dog!". Well, some dogs are small, but if Shaun were a dog he wouldn't be a toy dog, that's for sure. He has a big head and a heavy body, but a lot of it is muscle. I've seen him jump from a squatting position to heights well above my head (so over 175 cm).

His colors looks similar to Caramel, but his personality is different from Caramel's to quite an extent. Shaun is cousin to Caramel and Orange Blossom. Sometimes they act like he doesn't belong to their little gang (which hurts his feelings, because it seems he would like to play with OB and Caramel the way they play with each other), but both have given up trying to drive him away. That's because Shaun is so big that it hurts too much and it's too tiring to fight him.
Even Orange Blossom, the little guy with lots of fighting spirit, has had his spirit broken a bit when Shaun fights back (he doesn't all the time, just when he gets REALLY MAD!).

Shaun used to be very shy around people, but now he is one of the most outgoing cats on campus. He loves to make friends with people, especially ones who want to share food. In fact, he is a bit of a 'food hoarder'.

He is very affectionate to you once you become his friend. He likes being petted and held and will also take long walks around campus with me. He especially likes to go over to greet the Swimming Pool Gang cats--and eat some of their food.

Meet Ragi, matriarch of the Dining Hall Troop

This is Ragi. She is a very successful and caring mother (now spayed, so she can't have anymore). Two of her sons are Orange Blossom and Caramel, already featured here at 'WE ARE FERAL CATS'. Ragi has a very gentle nature usually and tries to get along with everyone in the Dining Hall Troop. She also visits the other large group on the campus, the Swimming Pool Troop. There are occasional tiffs with Shaun (a nephew who will we feature in a future post).

She also gets angry sometimes when OB and Caramel are quarrelling (like when they are playing but they both get mad at the other for playing 'too rough'). She will wade right into their spat and sort things out. If she hears OB or Caramel sounding like they are in trouble, she comes running very fast to help them.

Here are two more photos of Caramel and Orange Blossom

The two brothers are often together, sharing food and sleeping space. They really look out for each other. Here is OB (photo above) on the wall outside the number one building of the College of Education. And the second photo (below) is a close up of Caramel.

Here's Orange Blossom

Orange Blossom is also in the Dining Hall Troop. He is very friendly, especially if you have some fish paste sausage for him ('kamaboko' or 'chikuwa' in Japanese). He lost his tail in an accident or fight, but despite not having a tail, he is a very skilled tree climber. Unlike some of the other cats, he is good at getting up the trees and getting down. He spends a lot of time with his brother, Caramel. These two really go at it when playing. They even do a form of sumo I call 'nekozumo'--cat sumo. They line up at the 'tachiai' and engage in 'tsuppari' (pushing). The usual 'kimarite' (winning move) is to get the opponent's neck in a 'lethal' bite hold. Caramel often beats Orange Blossom at this, but Orange Blossom tends to have the stronger 'fighting spirit' so frequently comes back and pulls off a reversal at the last second.

Orange Blossom has a boisterous and noisy way about him. He vocalizes a lot, almost like he is talking to you. I imagine he says things like, "My name is OB. Do you have some fish paste sausage?" or "Don't bother me. Can't you see I need all the concentration I can muster to get down this larch tree?"

Unlike Caramel, he doesn't like being picked up and held much, but he loves to be petted and to spend time with me. He also likes to go on long walks around campus. Sometimes he and Caramel go 'hunting' with me. Caramel is the most skilled catcher of mice, but he is happy to share them with Orange Blossom.

Orange Blossom's nicknames are 'OB-kun', 'OB', 'Biff' and 'Stinky'.

Meet Caramel

Caramel is one of the friendliest and playful of the campus cats. Here he is posing on a wall with the number one building of the College of Education (undergoing reconstruction) in the background. His nickname is 'Lucky'. He is also on the blog's masthead.

Caramel belongs to the Dining Hall Troop of cats (so called because they all live near the dining hall on campus). The Dining Hall Troop includes the following: Caramel (male), Orange Blossom (male), Ragi (female, Caramel's and Orange Blossom's mother), Shaun (male, he is a cousin to Caramel and Orange Blossom), and Gracie (a young female born last year, Spring 2008, daughter of Ragi). An occasional member is Bigwig, a dominant male (now neutered) who moves between two groups of cats. All of these cats, by the way, are NOW fixed--spayed or neutered, and will not be having any kittens.