Here’s a photo of the little one this afternoon, as he laid down for a nap by the window, which was Malo’s favorite spot too. (A little blurry because I used a slow shutter speed to avoid the flash, and didn’t use a tripod.) This spot on the table is great for watching and listening to the goings-on outside. “Kanoko” means “fawn” in Japanese, and in fabric dyeing, is used to refer to kanoko shibori, of which this obi of mine is an example. I thought it was a great name for the kitten, since he looks so like a furry fawn.

Kanoko is probably a Maine Coon. I do have to say that I’ve contacted a local Maine Coon breeder to double-check whether Kanoko’s original owners can be found, though I doubt it. Kittens are only supposed to be sold/adopted once they’re three months old minimum, and Kanoko doesn’t seem to be more than two months old (he only weighs 1.2kg). It is a known habit (grrrr) for animals young and old to be abandoned this time of year, since it’s when the French go on their month-long vacations… and some would rather dump their animal than bother to pay for a pet sitter. Many of the people do it half-heartedly, if that descriptor can be used (grrrr again), leaving them leashed to a tree (I stopped counting the abandoned dogs I saw tied to trees alongside country roads years ago, it’s f@%king infuriating — they were dead, that’s how I’m sure they’d been abandoned) or inside an apartment building entrance, which is where Kanoko was found wandering. As I wrote yesterday, no one in that building or others nearby claimed him. He may also have a microchip, but again, at his young age that would really surprise me; we’ll check at the vet.

I still miss Malo terribly. I’ve had several pets in my life, and so am dealing with the paradoxical and sometimes conflicting emotions all right, since experience has taught me that indeed, a beloved animal always keeps a unique and special place in your heart. There’s no such thing as a replacement, and each newcomer is a true individual.

If Kanoko is indeed Maine Coon, I’m going to have a very big, playful, affectionate furball on my hands in two years!

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This entry was posted on Saturday 26 July 2008 at 14:11 and is filed under Cats, Journal, La France. Tags for this entry: , Kanoko, photography. You can follow any comments on this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.