Some collages

   Shaun.

The oh-so beautiful Ms. Sheba. 

Nana-chan.

Shaun visits Buddy during the long, hot summer of 2010

Shaun (orange and white tabby on the right) can't get over the fact that Buddy isn't intimidated by him. Buddy is the smallest but most energetic 'guard' in the Swimming Pool Gang. He and Gus tolerate Shaun visiting (Shaun likes to take walks with me), but they remind him he is a visitor.

I actually think they like his visits because having a large cat like Shaun around does help the show of force against the marauding tom cats that come over the east wall of the campus. So they let Shaun come and even scent and scratch mark in their territory. He also takes meals there sometimes.

Shaun said, "That's not how you mark a tree."

"Here. Let me show you. This is how you mark a tree. Other cats will think a leopard lives in this territory."

OB and Shaun sunbathing

This was earlier this summer, before it got really hot. Wish Caramel (OB's brother) was around to enjoy such times as well, but Caramel has been missing since about 1 April. OB is on the left; Shaun is on the right.

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First hot day of the year 2

Shaun found some shade to cool off in too.

First hot day of the year

Last week it got very summery--very quickly, so we all got 'spring fever'. Orange Blossom spent the afternoon under the gas tank of a car just outside the College of Education's No. 2 building, as did cousin Shaun. 

Portrait of Shaun

The guardian of the Dining Hall Troop. Orange Blossom, his cousin, guards the east and south flanks, while Shaun takes the north and west.

My favorite picture of Shaun

Shaun is the guardian cat of the No. 2 building of the College of Education and the very heart and soul of the Dining Hall Troop. Everyone else wanders around, but Shaun stays put--unless I take him for a walk. Then he will walk hours with me. I walk with him around and around on campus because I don't really want him wandering off--it's far too dangerous.

SHAUN COLLAGE

SHAUN is such an endearing cat. He loves his cousin, Orange Blossom, like they were brothers. But OB already has a brother (Caramel), so sometimes he is reluctant to take on another one. Still, this winter Shaun and OB have huddled together and shared shelter space to stay warm. They usually eat lunch and dinner together as well. I think their spending time together makes it safer for them--they are less likely to wander off and get into trouble.

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.

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).

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.

Dining Hall Troop All Together

The Dining Hall Troop is down to four adult cats (which is good because it means the kitten, Babe, has been rescued and Elvis and Gracie have found homes). They are Ragi, a calico, Caramel, Orange Blossom, and Shaun. Caramel and Shaun are both brown and white, while O.B. is a classic orange tabby (but without his tail). Here are some photos taken this year of them all. Ragi is the mother of Caramel and Orange Blossom and aunt to Shaun.

Here Orange Blossom stretches out and waits for dinner (with his brother Caramel behind him):

This is Shaun posing on the stoop of the College of Education #2 Building, where he spends much of his time:

Caramel is the hunter of the bunch. Here is doing that stalking thing amidst azaleas in mid-May:

I always think Ragi is such a beautiful cat:

MISCELLANEOUS PORTRAITS TWO

It's Gus, Sheba's brother and constant companion. I think Sylvester, the big black-and-white tom who lives just outside the SE corner of campus is their father. Gus is such an agreeable cat. He doesn't hoard food or fight. He just wants to hang out. He has been a hard cat to photograph, but now that he trusts me to get very close, I will try for some better day-time portraits and action photos of him. He is a very unusual cat in appearance because of the way his black-and-white colors are distributed on his body.

Below it's Shaun. He thinks he is the boss of the Dining Hall Troop, except no one honors his leadership. Still, he is a really fun cat to interact with (as a human anyway). He is physically the largest cat on campus.





Last are four glimpses of Pushkin, who posed for me in the winter dusk.

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.

Shaun, from the Dining Hall Troop, visits Pushkin, of the Swimming Pool Gang

We recently had a break in the winter weather--a bit of 'false spring' no doubt. So Shaun and I went for a walk over to the swimming pool to visit the cats over there. Shaun likes to do this because he likes to eat their food! Here in this photo he is saying 'Hello' to an old friend, Pushkin, matriarch of the Swimming Pool Gang.

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.