My new little man

[bunchofgrapes]

So far I've narrowed the name search down to Taddeo and Simon. I picked him up from the rescue ladies at Neuter Now around noon and he was very good on the way home but definitely very chatty. He's also a purr machine--when he's not hissing and growling at Harry. I have new little guy isolated in the downstairs bathroom right now. I did that when I brought both Harry and Sophie into the house and it worked really well in getting them acclimated to their new home but mostly each other.

I managed to get a couple of really good shots of him. I know I'm biased but he's such a handsome guy. Oh, and I was a little off about his coloring. He's light brown and black. Note the ears and the perfect tabby "M".

Comments

[anamin.livejournal.com]

aww. My sister is getting a Flametip Siamese from a PA rescue group possibly next Saturday.

[bunchofgrapes]

We always had Siamese cats when I growing up. They are such a hoot. Extremely vocal cats. Extremely.

[tos-lover.livejournal.com]

Ooooh look at his ears. I once had a cat whose ears looked so big until he grew up. Adorable.

[bunchofgrapes]

You can't really see it from the pics but he's got a large nose that I think he'll grow into as well. I love his ears though. The little wisps of hair growing out of them are so cute.

[(Anonymous)]

Awww, he's a cutie. I want to hold him and listen to him purr. I love the ears and I learned something about cats. I didn't know a tabby had that "M".

N.

[bunchofgrapes]

Yes, the legend is that the Virgin Mary bestowed an M on the tabby's head after it helped keep the baby Jesus warm.

And he'd let you hold him. You can cradle him like a baby and he's a happy boy. He'll even let you rub his tummy.

[cincoflex.livejournal.com]

Looks like a Simon to me! Congrats, he's definitely going to be a personality cat, I can see that!

[bunchofgrapes]

I'm really leaning towards Simon too.

Yep, definitely a personality cat already. He's only been here a few hours and already he's turning on the charm and letting me rub his tummy.

[la-dame-du-lac.livejournal.com]

He's sooooo cute!

This is a young Maine Coon (mixed breed?), complete with "lynx tips" (the wisps of hair at the top of the ear)! You're going to get a huge cat when he's all done growing! :D

Er... I really don't want to be a party pooper, but some Maine Coons get a degenerative heart condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) - I sadly know a lot about it first hand, and it's pretty specific to their breed. Just to be on the safe side, I'd suggest mentioning it to your vet and making sure that they keep an eye on the heart rate and check for heart murmurs as he grows up. An ultrasound of the heart would help rule it out, too, but it can be pricey.

Sorry, I hope this wasn't inappropriate. ^^; And... he looks like a Simon to me, actually. I couldn't explain why.

[bunchofgrapes]

I asked the rescue ladies if there was a chance he had some Maine Coon in him because I thought he had that look. The one who fostered him said his mother is a DSH tabby but she wasn't sure about the dad. He's pretty little though so I think it's doubtful. I've seen Maine Coon kittens and their paws are huge--along with the rest of them. New boy's paws seem to be normal kitten size.

And I've had a little experience with HCM as well. My last boy, Basil, had it and was on medication and had a cardiologist. He lived a good three years after it was diagnosed but the end wasn't good. Basil was a DLH like this guy and a lot of people *thought* he was at least a Maine Coon mix but he wasn't. His mom was a B&W DSH and dad was a DLH tabby.

I'm really leaning towards Simon as well. I like the name Taddeo but it doesn't roll off the tongue quite like Simon does plus he's mouthy like Simon Cowell. When I called him Simon, he answered.

[bunchofgrapes]

Just as a follow up...

I took the little guy to the vet yesterday and although she was fairly positive he's a Norwegian Forest Cat (apparently, so is my female), she still checked him for the murmur and found nothing but would keep an eye on him as he grows.