Kiisu

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Kiisu (aka Kiisu Miisu -- Kiisu simply means "kitten" in Estonian) is the senior cat at SwallowHill. Born probably about mid-June 1998 she is now (summer 2005) 7 years old. Indeed she is probably a year younger than Cleo. Nonetheless, she is the senior cat because she arrived here first and she trained both us and the dogs about how to live with cats and how wonderful they are. In the case of the dogs the education took about 3 months. In the beginning, the dogs considered her prey to be chased up trees or under chesterfields -- but eventually they learned and we learned too. I (Rod) always thought that cats were elegant, aloof strangers who would suavely stab you in the back while wearing elbow-length velvet gloves. Wrong wrong wrong! They are sweethearts. But what did I know? I had to be taught. You have to honour your teacher -- and I do.

While we have generally purchased our dogs from breeders, our cats are all strays who have just happened to us. In the case of Kiisu, the dogs had chased this miniscule kitten (a pound or less and just skin and bones -- like a hand puppet) up a tree. Hearing the barking, Merike lifted Kiisu down and Kiisu, obviously terrified, turned around and bit Merike on the wrist, leapt to the ground and scampered off. Well we had to catch her again. She probably didn't have rabies, but if you guess wrong and she does, then you're dead. So we caught her again (wearing heavy protective gloves) and kept her in a cage for 10 days and then had her tested by the vet. Everytime we put food into the cage she would purr. By the end of the 10 days, we realized that she'd become part of the family and we couldn't let her go. (It took a little longer for the dogs to recognize the same thing).

By the time we encountered Cleo and her nursing kittens, the dogs (at that time Mady and Bibi -- but soon thereafter Mady and Laijka) had already been well trained by Kiisu and knew immediately how to welcome more cats into the family.

In later years, Kiisu has grown just a little more roly-poly than when she was a young kitten -- but thinking of her emaciated frame when she first encountered us, we can hardly blame her for adopting an "I'm-never-going-to-be-hungry-again" attitude.

Here's another Kissu pose. Apparently 'tortoise-shell' cats are always female.

And here's yet another pose. Her fierce face belies a very soft and affectionate interior. But the head at times can look exactly like a great horned owl.

Just look at that intense face and those ears!