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.

Gracie, Newest Member of the Dining Hall Troop

Gracie, Ragi's youngest daughter, is a calico born last year. So she has had a hard time adapting to life on the campus. First, there is all the construction, which displaced her from her usual hiding place, under the handicapped access ramp to the library. And she is small, so other cats have bullied her a bit (most of the culprits are not regular campus cats apparently). But she seems to be doing well. She only comes out at night. She is also a health food advocate. She won't touch the dry cheap food. She prefers canned tuna or chicken--and she will let you know she doesn't like dry food! Although she only comes out at night, Gracie is used to me and to the lady who regularly feeds her. We can pick her up and pet her, so she is not at all wild towards us. Gracie is a beautiful cat (I wish I could get a nice daytime photo of her). She is white, orange and dark grey (the dark grey is striped too).

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.

Caramel says HELLO to his number one fan, Rayyan

Caramel is brother and close friend to Orange Blossom. He is also often seen with his mother, Ragi. Caramel is one of the nicest and friendliest cats on campus--and that is saying a lot because they are ALL nice. If you are near the College of Education, Caramel is most likely to greet you though. He is also the best one at catching mice and large insects.

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.