Yogi

The following is the only known photographic evidence of the fabled Loch Ness Kitteh:

Kidding.

What I do have is real photographic evidence of a confirmed sighting of an elusive sanctuary cat whose existence I'd begun to have cause to question.

After I got to know Harley and later sister Boo Boo, Ann told me about the third sibling, a shy boy named Yogi. He lives in the back yard, she told me, and looks less like his brother and sister than he does like Huey with a tail.

Yogi is fond of Ann and will come trotting out when she calls him. Except when there's a stranger around. Me, for example.

After a number of failed attempts over many months, I couldn't help teasing Ann, suggesting perhaps this might be a feline of the mythical variety.

Then one day recently she was fortunate enough to capture Yogi on camera. And, unlike the cheerfully doctored photo at the beginning of the post, this one's the real deal.

photo by Ann

Has anyone else managed to get a picture of Yogi? If so, send it along to nekoraps(at)gmail.com and I'll post it on the blog.

Boo Boo

Back in March, Ann took me to meet Harley's sister, Boo Boo. Although black and white rather than grey and white, Boo Boo shares her brother's eyes and they both have the same skittish look with people they don't know very well.

Since that time, Harley has progressed to running out to meet me when he sees me in the doublewide, and will sometimes even sit on my lap for a moment or two. Seeing my progress with him, the other day Ann hauled me off to go and see his sister, who I really had meant to go and get to know better earlier, but got repeatedly waylaid by other more assertively friendly cats.

Ann tells me that Boo Boo had grown quite friendly, but since has gotten kind of lost among all the friendly, outgoing cats living in the singlewide that she's started slipping back into skittishness. Not exactly progress, and so Ann hopes that Boo Boo can have a few more people seeking her out and spending a little time with her so that she doesn't forget to like people in general and not just the select few she's already used to.

Harley

Harley is one of those cats whose timidity can fool you into thinking he's not tame. I first met him back in October when I was taking pictures of cats in the back yard. He was willing to let me come close enough to take his picture, but not enough to touch him. And with so many other cats aggressively campaigning for me to pat and pay attention to them, I didn't push him for more.

The spell of cold weather we had a little while ago lured a lot of the cats who usually stay out back into the warmth of the trailers. And so it was that I looked up from my food and water duties the other night to find this little face peering down at me.

He scooted away the first time I tried approaching him, but after the second we quickly progressed to this--

-- and this.

I learned afterward from Leslie that Harley is indeed a friendly cat, though he can be timid with people he doesn't know well. He's around 3 years old and is one of 3 siblings who've been at the sanctuary since they were kittens.

And the name? Leslie says she "named Harley after another cat that we had years ago. That cat's name was Harley and he was quite a character. And when this kitten showed up, I thought 'Oh wow, he looks just like Harley.'"

It also seems that Harley's becoming less and less timid with people as he spends more time inside. And the more people realize he's friendly and go spend a little time with him, the better he'll be.