Saturday, December 15, 2007

Yoshi


This evening we welcomed a second kitten into our home. Yoshi is a 10-week old marmalade tabby we adopted from Happy Tails. Yoshi is a polydactyl cat, which means he has more than the usual number of toes on both of his front paws due to a cat body type genetic mutation. The more than usual number of toes are harmless.

Our resident kitten, eight-month-old Yuki, hasn't fully accepted Yoshi yet. He growls and hisses, which is normal (according to the information sheet given to us).

UPDATE: All seems well--after watching our neighbor play with Yoshi for some time, Yuki's temperament seems to have transformed from defensive aggressiveness to playful. They chased each other all over the house, with Yoshi finally hiding under our bed to take a nap. Yoshi's playfulness seemed unphased by Yuki's hissing and growling, like a branch bending in the wind and then springing back. It seems obvious to us by his reaction that Yuki's never been in a home with other cats. His origin remains a mystery, but it's equally obvious that he was raised in a loving home.

UPDATE: Day Two--Yuki continues to hiss, one or two almost inaudible growls. Yuki wants to play--he lies on his back and looks at Yoshi.

UPDATE: Day Three--Yuki continues to hiss at times, then hides from Yoshi in a large box, in a drawer, or behind a curtain. We think he's overwhelmed with Yoshi's energy and needs some peace and safety to de-stress. This evening they played together and they're both sitting with us in the office sleeping.

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