Gracie, Again

Actually, Gracie is now no longer the newest member of the Dining Hall Troop. That's because a new member has arrived. Someone just recently dumped a kittenish orange tabby, who will be featured next. Also, we have had something of a revelation about our Gracie. She is, as it turns out, a CHANGELING! I always wondered how she went from being a lovely short-haired calico to a lovely long-haired calico. Well, it seems there has been a case of mistaken identity. This Gracie is a long-haired calico and always was. Which means she is not Ragi's daughter--more likely she is a niece, and is somehow related to Shaun (perhaps he is an uncle or something).

Here is what happened. We trapped, spayed and released a young calico last summer and she disappeared right around the library on campus started undergoing construction (that is because she had been living under the handicapped access ramp and had to find a new home). Then around the same time a mostly nocturnal, shy little calico appeared not far away where Shaun is seen most often. And the two cats got their identity confused.

This Gracie (the Changeling) will stay Gracie, and the original Gracie has been re-named Gwen. We will have to get a photo of Gwen up as soon as we can. She will also count as a member of the Dining Hall Troop.

Finally for this blog entry on the feral cats of University of Fukui campus, there is a bit of news about our changeling Gracie. She is spayed and will not be having any kittens. She has been living in my office for the past week, recuperating from a cold. She is over her cold, and we can happily report that Gracie is 'adoptable'. She uses litter boxes and soon gets used to people. She is actually quite adorable and craves affection and is quite affectionate in return. Still yet another example of a feral cat who could not bond to people when she was a small kitten (because she had to fight for her survival as a 'feral cat') and yet who proves to be quite tame around the people who care for her.