Regular readers will recall my posts about Chui the wonder cat -- the friendliest, most capable mouser/ratter in all of Dodoma. Well, he's been gone for over a month now with no sightings. It was very upsetting to me when I discovered he'd gone missing while I was in Nairobi.
Well, my friend Andrea brought two replacements -- macho and moshi. Macho is the Swahili word for eyes -- and he has two lines that come from his eyes that look like frames. Moshi means smoke -- and this is the second cat with the same name (Chui had a sister who ran away as soon as arriving). Macho has become socialized to us (at least me), but Moshi continues to keep his distance. He desperately wants to be friendly, but just can't seem to manage to take the step.
A happy update: Moshi finally made the leap! This evening when I fed them I waited very patiently. Macho ate and came right up to me -- purring, purring, purring. Moshi sat very near and then moved even nearer, but behind me (a very smart cat). I moved under our kibanda a few minutes later and Macho followed and then Moshi. I was joined by our English volunteer, Roland, and soon Moshi was walking under his legs, and finally brushed against his outstretched hand -- and then let us pet him.
ReplyDeletePoor Moshi, now that trust has been established it will soon be betrayed. Off to the vet in the next week or two to get neutered.