We headed south to bring home a kitten who had been rescued from a paper sack which had been dumped in front of a convenience store. It was a very long day indeed, five hours drive each way. Meet our little flea-lion….
We named him Prince Mishkin from one of our favorite novels, "The Idiot"
He was four months old and the first thing he did upon arriving home was to chase his tail until he became dizzy enough to fall over; his name was well derived. Here he is that day, with his favorite baby toy sent home with him by his foster mom; it has a small bell inside so it rings when whacked. He doesn’t play with this toy anymore, but it is not abandoned. He tucked it into the carrier in which he rode home with us, and his treasure shares that favorite sleeping spot each day.
He loved this squeaky mouse toy that runs in circles when pushed vigorously with a paw.
His auntie sent him his toy and it resides in his bedroom. He gives it a whack every once in a while just to see it squeak. He much prefers the real live mice which venture into our house for a short-lived excursion. His reflexes are finely developed and he is very fast!
This is his favorite toy, a stuffed lion which was half his size when we first brought it home.
He still carries this toy lion around the house in his mouth, and he pretends frequently that it is ready to pounce on him. He wraps his front paws around it and hugs it fiercely, biting it on the neck and hitting it with his back feet. He drags it all over the house, especially if he had no mice to play with overnight.
This was his reaction the first time we set the toy lion on the floor.
He does this Halloween Cat pose in the mornings when I first come out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. He hops across the floor showing how fierce he is, then smooths down as he reaches me and asks politely to be fed and picked up for a cuddle. It’s hilarious and always makes me smile first thing every day.
From the moment we brought him home, he loved to dive under this little rug in front of the sliding glass doors.
At first it was a small lump under the rug, and no kitten was visible. Now the lump is considerably larger, and bits of large cat are completely visible. like his tail and back end, for instance. He hasn’t figured out that he doesn’t fit and isn’t hidden. Sometimes he dives in from the glass side of the rug and green eyes gleam from the dark shadows.
His uncle sent him a box of stuffed toy mice. And he surprised us yet again with his favorite game to this day - fetch!
Several times a week he will bring a toy mouse to us, set it down by our feet or shoes and then look up, very expectantly, asking for the games to begin. We throw his mouse as far as we can, in different directions, and he joyously retrieves it and brings it back for another toss. Sometimes he pretends the mouse is hiding in our slippers and he will push the toy and our shoes all over the floor.
When not chasing our slippers around the house, he parks both feet into one and claims rights of ownership.
He exhibits one catly behaviour, sitting and staring into space at nothing in particular.
Looking for trouble in all the right places.
The "rodent channel" on Kitty-TV is a favorite. And lord knows he has lots of varieties to watch!
Here he is watching another station…
The "deer channel."
This morning he was engaged in a stare-down with a large doe who was eating leaves off bushes next to the bedroom windows. She looked at Mishkin intently with her ears upright and quivering, trying to catch the least little sound. She had Mish’s undivided attention as well. And for once he emerged victorious as she couldn’t take the pressure anymore and bounced off down the hill and away from the deadly predator. He was elated, “Respect!!!”
He claims possession of chairs, livingroom and computer... whichever one he thinks will be most in demand by the human servants.
When we return home from any excursion to the outside world, we are greeted by Mishkin at the front door. He rolls around on the floor, looking for a belly rub to be followed immediately by a wrestling match with whoever is brave enough to donate a hand to the cause.
He acts tough, but he's really just a pussy cat.
Over the course of this past year he went from a four pound baby cat to a fifteen pound tomcat. He claimed his rightful place in our home and in our hearts.
Happy Anniversary, Mishkin!