Tiger Boy, 2007-8

We all miss you Tiger Boy. You were one of the loveliest cats I've ever known, both in appearance and in personality. I wish I could have protected you better. And as much as I miss you, you know Maya Girl misses you even more. That's how special you were.

Maya Girl

Maya Girl is one of the veterans of the Swimming Pool Gang. I've known her as long as I've known Pushkin, although I think Maya Girl is younger. I'm guessing she is just two years old.

Maya Girl had a very special relationship with another cat of the Swimming Pool Gang, Tiger Boy. Tiger Boy was like her 'big brother'. They grew up together and then spent so much time as young adult cats together. They would sleep 'back-to-back' and protect each other. Tiger Boy was a much bigger cat, and yet he would play gently with Maya Girl, letting her wrestle him to the ground. They really loved each other, as is apparent from the photograph where they are cuddling together while sitting on a motor scooter.

Unfortunately, we lost Tiger Boy last year in mid-July. He wandered off campus and was struck by a car or truck on the very busy 'Nishikanjosen' Road, which is just north of campus.

Tiger Boy had a very different personality than Maya Girl--he very quickly made friends with people and loved to play. He would jump very high chasing flying insects. If I made shadows on the wall at night using the light from a street lamp, he would jump very high trying to catch the shadow puppets (he really liked the one that looked like a bunny and the one that looked like a profile of Richard Nixon). I remember once he jumped so high he fell over backwards from a height that was as high as my head. I thought he might have hurt himself, but he shook it off and wanted to keep on playing. That was Tiger Boy--usually he just wanted to play, and got along with most of the other cats.

When Tiger Boy disappeared (I only found out 10 days later what had happened), both Maya Girl and Pushkin were distressed. They would go out every night, trying to call him out or back to the area. Then Maya Girl would go to the East Gate of campus and wait and wait, and cry and cry. She stopped eating for a week and lost weight for about a month. I was really afraid for her, but she recovered her spirits and is now a very healthy cat.

She lives in canoes and kayaks that are stored on the south wall of the gymnasium, near the outdoor swimming pool. She has made good friends with a couple of students who will go and spend their lunch time holding her and petting her. So right now, since there are no classes, Maya Girl is a bit lonely.




A recent photo of Maya Girl (2009) taken at night.




In summer 2008, after she lost Tiger Boy and stopped eating. She lost a lot of weight.




This is a snap of Tiger Boy and Maya Girl taking a nap together on a motor scooter.

GUS, of the Swimming Pool Gang

Gus is the brother of Sheba. Both are black and white, but Gus is a very long lean cat and his fur is short, so he is easy to tell from Sheba. Also, Gus is a 'patchwork' boy, his black and white being more unbalanced on his face, with the left side being more black while the right is more white. Also, his legs (when you see him from the rear) look like they are in black trousers. He has a sweet disposition--never fights with any of the other cats, is always out waiting to meet me everyday. He is very shy, though, and I have only ever touched him once, right when I gave him some of his favorite food. He can usually be found spending time with his sister, Sheba. He has a bond with her somewhat like Tiger Boy and Maya Girl (also of the Swimming Pool Gang, which we will get to later in a future post).

Dining Hall Troops Enjoys Early Spring

This week I was able to take some up-close photos of Shaun, Ragi, Orange Blossom and Caramel.




Ragi gives it a sniff before devouring.




Orange Blossom and Caramel approach.



Orange Blossom (left) and Caramel (right)
enjoy a snack.





Shaun does his best to look cute.




Caramel puts on a very serious face.

Sheba

Sheba is one of the black-and-white cats who graces the Swimming Pool area. For a completely feral cat (born and raised in the 'wilds' of the city of Fukui), she is a very friendly cat. She likes to pose for pictures and will even let me pet her and pick her up--unlike her brother, Gus, who is very shy (but a very nice likeable cat himself). Isn't she beautiful. She has a beautiful, plaintive voice too.

ELVIS LIVES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Meet Elvis newest member of the Swimming Pool Gang (unless I can convince Gracie to move over there). He appeared last year, in mid summer. He was very shy at first and seemed like a totally wild cat. Apparently what he was just a very scared domesticated cat (an escaped and lost pet or perhaps a pet someone dumped?). He soon became male boss of the Swimming Pool Gang and is absolutely the friendliest cat on campus. He even lets strangers pick him up and handle him for petting. He has an engaging and playful personality too.




Elvis recently visited my office and tried out the new office furniture.





Here he is asserting 'BOSS' status at the swimming pool. There is a certain swagger in that walk. He will boss around the other cats, but he doesn't bite. So I think most of the other cats don't mind his bossiness that much.

Matriarch of the Swimming Pool Gang

She is Pushkin--an adorable, gentle and usually very quiet kitty. She lives amidst overturned, suspended boats stored between the swimming pool office building and the kendo gym. She is very smart and knows how to stay out of trouble usually. Pushkin is great stress relief, as she will sit quietly with you and listen to all your troubles and just purr. Nicknames: Pooty-poot, Pushkers, Pushkerwhiskers.

O'Malley, the Alley Cat

I thought 'O'Malley' was a nice name for this little guy. He is a 6 month old (or possibly less) orange tabby who would appear to have three Y chromosomes. He has chased off from the food dish the biggest food hog in the Dining Hall Troop, Shaun, who looms over the little fellow. Orange Blossom, who is perhaps the most macho of the cats here, also didn't know what to make of little O'Malley and ran away from him as fast as he could. O'Malley has been fixed and innoculated in the hopes that he can be adopted quickly. PLEASE SOMEONE! If you live in W. Japan, we will deliver.

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.