A Fresh Dose of Felinity

After sharing The Unabridged Tale of Katsu, I signed off with a promise to introduce you to someone equal parts devilish chaos and angelic sweetness special.

When it became clear that Katsu wasn’t coming back, I began reframing our delightful time with her as a precious lesson. A lesson that fuck yes, I do indeed enjoy having a cat around, and would like one of my own to care for.

Alicia and I planned to give Katsu one month’s grace in hopes she’d stop begrudging our month-long absence and start visiting again before searching for a cat in need of a home... But once I got the idea in my head, and given how certain I was she wasn’t coming back, I was scouring animal rescue websites within a week.

Which I must say, was a startling experience. I didn’t expect adopting a cat to be such a competitive experience, and I soon found myself disheartened by not even being able to meet many of the cats I was interested in before they were out the door.

So one mopey and gray Saturday in June, when I found ‘Grace’ at a shelter 40 minutes from home, I quickly let them know I’d be coming in to meet her.

I’ll never forget walking into what appeared to be an empty room, when all of a sudden from a bed with raised edges at the top of a cat tree, a little grey head with these two huge, yellow, snake-like, dragonific eyes burst into view.

Alicia and I ended up playing with Grace for about an hour, until she abruptly decided that nap time had arrived and that we should leave her be. During that blissful hour we discovered that Grace is one of the friendliest, most outgoing, social, and playful cats either of us had ever met—and remarkably well-adjusted given her not-so-great history. We decided to take her home.

This smoky little panther who moves like mercury and is an expert in trilling, after trying on countless ideas, now bears the name Yuki Grace Beans.

Yuki is the name of one of my favourite Formula 1 drivers, Yuki Tsunoda, and is the Japanese word for happy and snow. We kept Grace in the mix because the name grew on us, and is apt description for how she moves. And we gave her the Beans ‘surname’ because for about ⅓-½ of most days, she’s giving life full beans——overflowing with energy, enthusiasm, and chaos.

I’ll confess: Adjusting to Yuki from Katsu has been challenging at times—for both Alicia and I. They’re wholly different cats with different preferences and needs. Some of which should be expected. After all, Katsu has had a full fifteen-odd years of life, while Yuki is just two (and still in her kitten era).

Katsu could be relied upon to spend her time adventuring outdoors, sleeping in a chair inside, or nestled into one of our laps. Yuki, unless she’s asleep, you need to keep at least half an eye on—for she’s a mischievous, curious one.

We’ve been hesitant to give Yuki free range outdoors, as she’s shown on a few occasions that she’ll happily charge at anything she perceives as a threat, warbling, hissing, and swiping—and there are a few large dogs around. I like that she stands up for herself, and the dogs have run off every time… So far.

Having a cat around full time has also been an adjustment. Given Katsu was an outdoor cat and had another home, she wasn’t around 24/7. Yuki is. Which isn’t more or less pleasant or unpleasant—just a difference in how much of life is now spent in proximity to feline companionship, the highs and the lows.

Mornings are often a chaotic experience with Yuki, as that’s when her beans tend to overflow, bursting all over the cabin. Feeding her helps sometimes, and her appetite does seem largest in the morning. We’ve also found that being outdoors is quite calming for her—she’ll often just lay in the grass.

She tends to sleep the afternoons away, waking only for pets, snacks, or perhaps more outdoors time. Evenings can be a mixed bag, but she never gets too wound up and goes to sleep when we do—she’s learned our routine.

But despite the earlier-than-I’d-like wake ups, bouts of unhinged chaos, and a few damaged plants, having the Yukester around has been amusingly joyous. Being a cat person still feels new to me, and I’m not sure 100% sure what about them I enjoy, but they certainly add a unique dimension to life.

As I’ve come to learn over the past year, the more felinity in my life, the happier I am. So that’s something worth embracing, celebrating, exploring.

Here are some of my favourite pictures from Yuki’s adventure so far:

With love from the forest,

~ Alexander Mullan