Maya Girl in her new home

I'm very happy to report that Maya Girl has transitioned very well into being a 'house cat'. This is very good for a cat who had to live outside on the university campus for the first 3.5 years of her life.

Maya Girl also taught me something about love and relationships. During the first year of her life she was nearly inseparable from her brother Tiger Boy. Actually, I think Maya Girl and Tiger Boy were born in separate litters to related mothers. She was physically behind Tiger Boy in her development. But they would always share sleeping quarters together, and Maya Girl always found a way to one of the food bowls with Tiger Boy in front of her.

When Tiger Boy was killed by a car out on a busy street near the east gate of campus, Maya Girl was forlorn for almost a month. I mean, beside herself with grief. She would go to the east gate every night and cry for hours, hoping to call Tiger Boy back. She stopped eating most of her food for three weeks and lost a lot of weight. I would go visit her everyday and talk to hear. I would hold her and pet her and tell her that we both missed Tiger Boy. She started eating again, and some students would come and visit her several times a week. Something she really enjoyed. She always liked being held and stroked.  

I like to think that Tiger Boy is in that part of heaven for cats, his soul at ease, looking down, knowing that his little adopted sister has found a new life. I'm sure Maya Girl still misses you Tiger Boy. I know I do.

Collage of Ebi

Ebi is the most recent rescued cat to be placed with a family. I hope she is doing well. Ebi was separated from her mother too early and suffered from poor nutrition. This stunted her growth. Then she got a bad cold and other complications and her growth seemed to go nowhere for about a month. But then in December she recovered and started growing again. Here is hoping she has a long and happy life.

Collage of Nana 2

Collage of Nana 1

I made two collages of Nana's photos. Here is the first.  You can also see her with Pongo, the black-and-white male. Nana is a white calico. She injured her right eye when very young, but this has pretty much healed now. The other two calicos--who all acted like sisters or cousins to each other--Gracie and June also injured their right eyes. Gracie's was the worst injury, but she has recovered some sight in that eye thanks to the surgery Dr. Daimon performed last summer.

I

Nana's collage 1

Collage of Gracie

Gracie was part of the Dining Hall Troop and then moved over to the Swimming Pool Gang for a few months. That was when she lived next to Elvis, with whom she developed a deep bond. Now she lives in the US with Elvis. A really beautiful long-haired calico with a wonderful personality. She was never kept by anyone as a kitten and young cat, but she got used to me and to the woman who came to feed her every night. She quickly adapted to life indoors. She is the cat on this blog's masthead (yawning).

Nice photo of Nana

Nana stayed with us for about 4 months and then moved to her present home, north of Fukui City, last year in November. She took over as 'big sister' for the little boys, Pongo and Babe, after Gracie and June left. Nana really loved to 'mother' Pongo and Babe, and she was also good at playing with them. She was a tremendously fast cat who used to run a circuit around the office, which also included a lot of vertical movement. She kept everyone very active. 

Elvis Baby finds her gender and her new home in the Kanto area

First, I mis-identified Ebi's gender. She is female, not male. So naming her after Elvis might not be such a good idea. So she is called EBI now.

I corrected the text of this earlier post about Elvis Baby/Ebi:

http://wearechikineko.blogspot.com/2009/10/elvis-baby.html
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Next, late last year, just before New Year's, she moved to a new home in the Kanto area, which is the Tokyo area more or less. We are so happy Ebi has found a loving family.

Here a couple photos of Ebi in her new home.

Functions to Keep Separate

Even in winter, cats like to keep these basic functions totally separate: quiet, secure, dry and warm places to sleep, places to eat, places to go to the toilet. Therefore, it is best to have shelters where they can wait to get fed and even feed from, but it is necessary to keep them separate from where they sleep. Many cats are not going to feel secure sleeping too close to food, since food attracts other cats and other animals. In winter they won't typically stray too far from where they get fed, but trying to force them to sleep right where they eat is not a good idea at all.

Here is where Ragi and Caramel took a lot of their meals in December and January, when the weather was foul. I have since rebuilt this shelter area to include 4 boxes for them to sleep, rest and await food. And I have moved the feeding area to a different place. I have also made the extra roofs and wind blocks better at blocking out the driving rains and blowing snows. Ragi likes this shelter a lot because, if panicked, she can quickly run for cover under a temporary classroom trailer parked nearby. She and Caramel, her son, will share a box in order to stay warm when it gets below freezing. 

Cat Shelters to Help Them Survive the Cold, Wet Winter of Fukui

For the cats around the College of Education No. 1 Building, I have constructed 'cat shelters'--nekogoya in Japanese (cat huts?). The first ones I made for winter a year ago, I made from styrofoam boxes and duct tape. By adding roofs, which were extra pieces of styrofoam made from the lids of styrofoam boxes, I was able to make these fairly weathertight. But only if the shelter was well 'sheltered' itself, such as on the leeward side of a building (such as the east side) or up next to a wall. Also, last year in December one of these got crushed when someone plowing snow dumped a ton of snow on it--thankfully no cats were in it at the time!

So I since have constructed newer shelters from plastic tool storage boxes. These I line with styrofoam and/or all-weather carpet and/or foam carpet tiles. I have a group of four near the No. 1 building which Ragi, Caramel and Orange Blossom are using. Orange Blossom is also spending a lot of time out of the wet and cold of Fukui's winter with Shaun, by the No. 2 Building. This, by the way, is what is left of the 'Dining Hall Troop'. Gwen, the calico daughter of Ragi born 2 years ago, is living in styrofoam shelters set up in a bicycle shelter near the north side of campus. I'm trying to get her to move in with the Dining Hall Troop, but apparently she is afraid of Orange Blossom and Shaun. She lost her best home when they reconstructed the campus library; she used to live under the handicapped access ramp but the newly rebuilt one doesn't offer any 'inner recess'. The old one was like a cave in which she would hide.

The next issue to face is what to do for the Swimming Pool Gang, since their entire area is under re-construction. I'm guessing that Sheba, Gus and Buddy are sheltering under construction trailers as well as in the basement of the College of Science's No. 3 Building. But the No. 3 Building is also due for re-construction. So I'm going to have to move some of the more sturdier ones over to where they are. The problem is finding a place where they won't be disturbed and at which the cats will use them. 

Here is hoping for an early spring, too.


These are two boxes that went outside for the Dining Hall Troop. You can see that there is a styrofoam box inserted inside the storage chest. The entrance holes are fairly large, but that is because these boxes will be in a fairly sheltered space. If the box is going to out in the open, it needs to be anchored well and a 'box-within-a box' type construction works best. Also, it helps to make the entrance hole as small as possible and as high up the side of the box as possible. Finally, it is best to raise the chest up off the ground, such as with wooden boards or bricks.

When a cat gets inside this, they usually feel very warm and secure, so long as it is sheltered from the wind and snow.

I make boxes big enough for just one cat, and larger ones for two cats. Cats who don't spend that much time together in the summer will cuddle together in the winter in order to stay warm.

Pongo and Babe Still Needs Homes/里親募集中

My hope is that someone will adopt these two little fellows together. They get along great and love to play and sleep together. This keeps them calm, relaxed and in good shape from all that exercise. Since they are both orphans, this brother-like solidarity means a lot to them. And since they have such contrasting personalities, keeping them together would prove very interesting for their family. 

Maya Girl has found a home.

Maya Girl had been living on the university campus for over 3 years. During her first year and a half, she and her brother, the loveable Tiger Boy, were inseparable. But then Tiger Boy got killed by a car. Maya Girl was near-inconsolable. She stopped eating and lost a lot of weight. Then she recovered some, seeking human company more than the company of the campus cats. She got along o.k. with Shaun when he visited, but relations with Gus and Sheba over the territory around the swimming pool were tense most of the time. Finally, they ran her out of the area and she was spending the winter mostly under the gym. But I caught her, put her in a quiet room for a week, and then she moved to her new family in Tsuruga City in southern Fukui Prefecture. Good-bye Maya Girl. We miss you here on campus but know that you have to be enjoying the comfort, warmth and safety of your new home.

Maya Girl had never lived in an apartment or house before, but as a kitten she had got quite used to people. So she has been able to adapt quite easily to living with a family in a house.

 

里親募集中 Pongo and Babe's pages at Satoya Boshu website

こちらのURLから直接アクセスする事が可能です。
http://www.satoya-boshu.net/keisai/c2-80489.html
http://www.satoya-boshu.net/keisai/c2-87141.html

My office mates

And they are my best buddies, too!  

Pongo, now about 10 months old. He is really a mild-natured kitty who gets along with just about anyone. And Babe, now pushing 7 months old. He is a little shy and sometimes high-strung, but when he is with Pongo, he is usually quite relaxed and playful. Pongo originally appeared in the territory of the Swimming Pool Gang while Babe emerged in the Dining Hall Troop. I don't think either were "out on the street" long enough to qualify as members.

 PONGO

 

PONGO

 

PONGO

 

BABE

 

BABE

 

BABE

 

PONGO ON LEFT (BACK), BABE RIGHT (FRONT)

 

PONGO LEFT, BABE RIGHT

GRACIE SAYS, HAPPY NEW YEAR!

SEE GRACIE ROAR IN THE YEAR OF THE CAT.

Dining Hall Troop in Summer

Now that it is the dead of winter, I thought it would nice to look back at some photos taken of the Dining Hall Troop in midsummer. From left top going clockwise, they are: Orange Blossom and Caramel taking a break in the shade of some trees, Ragi and Caramel near the old broken-down fountain (where they drink a lot of water), Ragi near the same fountain but with a different backdrop, and Orange Blossom posing in front of the Number 1 building of the College of Education (just west of the fountain). Click here or on graphic below to load and view the large, full image:

New Breed of Urban Guerilla Chic Cats

Sheba and her brother Gus now rule the Swimming Pool Gang. They are joined by Buddy, an all black cat who has a brother, also all black, named Richie (50s rockers being one source of naming inspiration here).

I can see the tiger-stripes and three-color calico combinations making great natural camouflage. When the orange tabby Orange Blossom hunkers down in leaves, I sometimes nearly step on him. It's about the same for the orange-and-white Caramel, his brother.

But we keep getting more and more black-and-white cats, who seem to be perfectly colored for night activity in an urban setting. They are the hardest to see at night, truly! Even harder than all-black.

 

 

Sheba is on the left and Gus the right.

Sheba is long-haired, Gus is shorter-haired

and looks like he is wearing black trousers. 

PONGO AND ELVIS

Pongo was a sickly kitten of under 3 months when I found him--dumped near the campus swimming pool, sick with a cold, and in mortal flight from crows. He rebounded and is now a strapping, healthy male (neutered) of around 9 months age. He seems to have got along well with any cat he has been put with. One of his favorite older friends was Elvis. He loved to cuddle up to Elvis, and, now that Elvis has moved to a new home (with Gracie), Pongo cuddles with me a lot. Pongo misses Elvis, Gracie and Nana, but he still spends a lot of time with Babe. They have become like brothers actually.

Another look at Pushkin

As far as I can tell, Pushkin was a stray or abandoned cat because she wasn't wary of people. I suspect she must have spent the first few years of her life somewhere else and then found herself left on campus. She quickly found a relatively safe place to stay, but winters were hard on Pushkin. So I brought her in from the cold last winter, January 2009, and let her stay in my temporary office. Since she and Elvis had been neighbors and got along fine, they just continued in my office getting along well. Winters are hard on the campus cats. Perhaps the biggest factor is securing territory for safe, dry and warm places to sleep, preferably ones close to where they get fed. So competition for space gets intense. Also, there is a lot less space for them to roam around once the snows fall. And the cats like to stay close to where they know they can get food so as not to get cut off from the supply. The abandoned cats, even if they are good fighters, seem to have a harder time establishing and keeping territory. So it is just as well Elvis and Pushkin left the outdoor cats and became indoor cats again. Pushkin moved on to a new family last March. I hope she is doing well. Her new family lives close to where Nana is, north of Fukui City, near the Kuzuryu River, as it flows north to Mikuni.

Pushkin is an extremely good-natured cat, and I think it shows when you look at her photos. 

 

 

THE ELVIS COLLECTION

When Elvis dreams, what does he dream of?

No more wars? Health care for all Americans?

ELVIS FOR PRESIDENT!

Another snap of Elvis and Gracie in their new home in Erie, PA

ELVIS AND GRACIE IN USA

They were born in Japan and made their lives as feral to semi-feral cats. Then they spent months in my office, with Pushkin, June, Nana, and Pongo. Now they share a home with Angie, Joe, and Biddy (a rescued cat). And everyone there misses Duncan very much (Duncan was a rescued cat who lived 14 years but who recently passed away). Please note just how much Gracie's right eye has improved (btw, Gracie is the cat roaring/yawning at the top of this blog on the masthead).

Shaun enjoys the fall colors

It's snowing now and all the leaves are down. Shaun lives in a space under a lot of larch trees, which shed brown needles in the autumn. But there are lots of chestnut and gingko trees around his building too. These give a nice red-yellow combination. This photo was taken on a beautiful late autumn day, before the blizzard hit. Shaun is spending the time in some of the 'cat shelter's I've made for the campus cats, staying warm and dry. Shaun is a smart cat and has learned how to survive the difficult winters in Fukui (which are cold and wet, a bad combination for cats).

Nana and Pongo enjoy the sunset.

At one time, Elvis, Gracie, Nana and Pongo would all gather to watch the sunset together. It was like late afternoon TV for them. Now it's Pongo and Babe. This is a photo of Pongo and Nana just before Nana moved to her new home. 

Shaun again

Shaun has the most nicknames of all the campus cats--Shaun-shaun, Ton-ton, Shaunster, Shaunmonster. When I ask him if he wants to go for a walk with me I always raise my voice an octave or two and say, "C'mon Ton-ton". He loves taking walks with me when the weather is nice. 

More photos of Shaun while in office

Shaun is such a cute cat for such a big guy.

Shaun visited the office recently

After Shaun got his vaccination, I let him rest up a bit in my office. If I can find homes for the three I am keeping in my office now, perhaps I could give Shaun and Maya Girl some time in my office to escape winter for a bit.

Ebi, Babe and Pongo still need homes 里親募集中

Nana and Pongo photo album - Click on the image to see photo album.

NANA-CHAN

Nana-chan has found a new home

Nana has moved to a large farmhouse outside Fukui City. In fact, not far from where Pushkin lives. I'm sure she misses Pongo (and Gracie and Elvis); Pongo sure misses her. As you can see from the photos, Pongo and Nana liked to cuddle up together.