Yesterday I had the most wonderful opportunity accepting what was a long-standing invitation which had had to be constantly held up by covid, to visit Grogu with his wonderful family.
Danni had for a while expressed a wish to have some guidance on ear cleaning and claw clipping so this visit allowed me to give that help.
I arrived fo a warm welcome & no sooner had I entered than from behind a TV cabinet came a beautiful, BIG handsome adult cat whom I’d last seen as a 12 week kitten. I’d seen photos of course but to see him with my own eyes was such a joy. He is solid and well built, much larger than his mum of course being a boy cat, but not quite yet the size of his dad Oz.. Sensational green eyes just like Oz but set in the angular face of his mum Prune. He came to me as I got onto the floor. Would he remember me?
He approached the bag & grooming equipment box I brought with me, and seemed very interested in sniffing at it. What was going on in his brain I wondered….Was there residual familiarity of scent, a recollection of his birthplace or even of me?
We all chatted a while. I showed Danni photos of Vinnie, & Basil in their respective families with the “brothers” they met in their new homes, then after having had a lovely little cuddle with adult sized Grogu I demonstrated on one ear and one paw how I clean an ear and cut claws. Danni then did a Lille more to his ears and the other front paw using my clippers which she said felt better. Certainly seeing what I do gave more confidence in what to do to improve Grogu’s ear cleanliness and allow more robust trimming.
These are skills new parents would previously have been able to practice with me on their kittens before their collections however covid robbed us of this kind of interaction in 2021
Since Grogu was due his grooming bath later that day we didn’t do more while I was there, but I was happy that after I’d gone these skills could be practiced. I have to say though that he was very calm & pretty laid back about it all. Very chilled indeed.
I wondered, now I’d been there a while and he’d got more used to my scent, how much he might have remembered. I called out “kittens, kittens” just as I do when calling a litter of weaned kittens to come to the kitchen for their food. On hearing this signal thry will charge eagerly, their tiny legs always getting them there before me, their tummies ready to be filled. Grogu & Humphrey we’re always “lords of the food bowls” so surely this would illicit a bit of recall???? I called again and we watched his eyes, his pupils narrow in the wonderfully light & bright room. His head to an angle he appeared to have a thoughtful expression. Fanciful maybe, but was he searching his memory banks, finding something back there that felt familiar to him? I’d really like to think he did!
Watching him interact with & learning of his various antics with his family on a Sunday afternoon was a truly wonderful experience. I honestly cannot describe in words the feeling of joy & pleasure I came away with. I feel so very privileged as a breeder to provide families like Grogu’s with exceptional Sphynx kittens/cats & feel honoured that all of “my” families choose to keep in touch with occasional or regular photos & updates, but to have this “live” visit was something else again! I’m very grateful.
As I drove away though, what an idiot I felt that not one of us thought to take photographic memento of Grogu and I reuniting. Doh!
