Jiji Loves Fall


The weekend before Hurricane Sandy hit, I was home in NJ. Of course, I love going home to see my parents and being in the comfort of my own home, but secretly, one of my main reasons for going home is that I miss my cat to bits! (I guess it’s not a secret anymore…) Yes, when I am home, it’s all about my cat, Jiji (or “The Jijipuss”, as I call her).

We have had Jiji for about two years now, although it’s unclear as to who adopted who. At the beginning of summer 2010, this scrawny little black kitten suddenly appeared on our deck, hungry and miserable. Mom and I took pity upon this creature and started to leave food and water out for her. As the summer progressed, this black kitten became courageous and curious. Rather than run away at the sight of me or mom, she would linger, and even rub up against us. Since we thought it odd to just call her “the black cat,” my mom named her “Jiji” after the black cat in one of my favorite childhood films, “Kiki’s Delivery Service”.

All summer, we became friends with Jiji. She was still skittish, but so curious. I think because she was so young, she wasn’t fully feral and there was still room in her heart to be loved by a human. There was another cat that used to also appear on the deck,  but he was much older and too feral. We named him “Totoro” because he was big and gray. Totoro would instantly run away at the sight of humans, but we still fed him.
A very old picture of Jiji when she first appeared on the deck

Fast forward two years, Jiji is now part of the family. She seems to know her name and she is quite affectionate towards me. (She seems to like me best!) She is not fully domesticated, she still begs to go outside and loves being outside, but she certainly enjoys the perks of being a family cat. Free food/treats, a nice big house to explore, access to any couch to sleep on, and most importantly, all the belly rubs/petting that she wants! For a former stray, Jiji has become quite the little spoiled princess! Still, I love and adore her and even though she won’t admit it, I’m pretty sure the feeling is mutual.

Anyway, this past weekend, I spent a fair amount of time playing with Jiji in the yard, and I learned that she loves playing in the fallen leaves. It was hilarious watching her pounce and chase leaves. She would disappear and then *BAM!* she would come flying out of a pile of leaves. What a silly girl!
It was especially hilarious watching her on the deck. Jiji would run in circles trying to kill every falling leaf. Her spider senses were definitely working in overdrive! As one point, I saw her quickly scale a tree, all in the name of chasing a leaf! What a crazy cat

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