Update from the owner of Gucci

I've received wonderful news about Gucci from his owner, a lovely girl named Melissa who is very protective of him. He is growing up happy, healthy and into a very loving cat.

You know, Gucci and Melissa had a very romantic start. She and her boyfriend, Kenny, came to my house one evening to take a look at the three remaining kittens up for adoption -- Bombay, Callas and Draco (Gucci's original name was Dracula, which I later shortened to Draco so that he wouldn't sound so scary to potential adopters).

Bombay was always the super playful one and, with his playfulness, he charmed Kenny right from the start by attacking his toes, messing with his anklets, and playing all kinds of catching games.

Gucci lay away from all the action, observing the scene for a while. Then he made his way to Melissa and sat right in front of her. He allowed her to fuss over him and stroke him and pat him. Then he lay close by her side the rest of the evening, always looking up at her.

Of course, Melissa's heart began to melt for Gucci. But she found Bombay very lovable too. She couldn't decide which kitten to take. She decided to leave the decision to Kenny to make and he chose Bombay. But something held Melissa back.

As they continued to play with the kittens, Bombay kept leaping up on to Melissa's shoulders which frightened her a bit. Later, Bombay jumped up on Kenny and gave him a very bad scratch on his thigh which left him bleeding... and later a scar. Kenny told Melissa that he felt Bombay might be a little too much for her to deal with... that Gucci would be a better choice.

So Gucci it was. :)

But that's not the end of the romantic story! As it turns out, Melissa's father wasn't so happy with Gucci because he felt that his black coat was inauspicious and he wanted Gucci returned in exchange for Bombay. Melissa's heart was broken and she fought for him to stay.

Melissa's father relented and even though it took some time, he grew to become fond of Gucci himself.

What a story, eh?

Here are four photographs of Gucci that Melissa sent me.

Melissa tells me that Gucci loves being with the family. He also knows how to get his way in the house. She writes, "Recently, my mum had to do some spring cleaning so we had to put him inside one of the rooms with this metal thing blocking the door. He mewed so loudly until everyone got up so that someone will let him out of the room. Haha!"

Here is Gucci making himself at home on Melissa's parents' bed. Melissa plans to have him sterilised soon after Chinese New Year.

As Gucci is a very energetic kitty, always jumping and pouncing on something whether or not it is a rolling ball, a hand at rest or a spot on the floor, I've told Melissa to expect him to calm down significantly after being neutered. But she says that "he's less playful already and has stopped jumping on the decorations in the house".

Awww... isn't this a sweet photo? Melissa says, "Gucci is closest to me and Kenny because we spend the most time with him. Right now as I'm replying to you... he's leaning on my thigh which he always does when I'm sitting on the sofa watching tv. =)"

I cannot express just how pleased and comforted I am to hear that Melissa's father has grown to be rather fond of Gucci. I was quite concerned initially about how Gucci would settle into a house with a family member feeling less than happy with his presence. But at the same time, I knew that Melissa and Kenny had already fallen in love with Gucci and that they would take very good care of him. So why not give Gucci a chance to settle in with them?

And I'm glad I did.

"My dad's fine with Gucci now," Melissa says. "He disturbs Gucci alot. Haha!"

I plan to pay Gucci a visit soon. I would love to see how big he has grown for myself, and to carry him and feel his massive weight in my arms.

Those of you curious to see what Gucci looked like when he was a little younger, here are some photos from my own collection.

Out of the litter of five, Gucci had the best fur. It was glossy and thick and soft and soooo silky. I always thought of him as a poster cat for kitten shampoo.

He grew very quickly to become the largest of the five. And that's no surprise if you saw how he ate. He and Bombay ate like starving sumos. But Gucci outate (is there such a word?) and soon outgrew even Bombay. While he wasn't as playful as Bombay, he was the most powerful kitten and could jump and reach heights that none of the others could.

And here are my three favourite photos with Gucci...

Sweet-talking my handsomest kitty

My attempt at hypnotising a cat with a swirling finger

Eee-yowch!

~5-Cat Style