I mentioned a new cat named Psiwa (pronounced “SEE wuh”).  Let me introduce you to this latest addition to the neighborhood feline brigade… at least as best I can.

First, the name.  Psiwa is an anagram of “a wisp.”  Basically, concatenate the two words (a wisp = awisp) and invert the entire structure (awisp = psiwa).  Then, give it a pronunciation (psiwa = psi·wa = SEE wuh [in my mind anyway]).

Second, why the name.  There are two major reasons I named this cat Psiwa: color and disposition.  Its color is a soft powdery grey that reminds me of a wisp of smoke.  Its disposition is such that, while not feral, certainly can be defined as quite skittish, and the cat is prone to run away if there’s too much motion, noise, or other disturbances—and it vanishes like a wisp of smoke.  So two references to “a wisp” was all I needed to come up with the name, but I wasn’t going to call it Wisp or Wispy or Wispmeister or any other such nonsense.  You know how I am with names.

Third, some photos.  As I explained above, this cat is flappable and flees at the drop of a hat.  That means I don’t have many photos of good quality.  What I do have is a bunch of pictures like this one.

And this one.

You see, this feline will tolerate me outside only so long as I don’t move around too much, make too much noise, or other distractions around don’t cause a nervous situation.  If any of those things happen, Psiwa is outta here with nary a thought.  Like a wisp of smoke…

But I was lucky in the last few days to catch it here having a meal without any other activity taking place.  I could not move into a position to get good photos because the cat would immediately bolt, but I did capture some of adequate quality that will give you an idea of what Psiwa looks like.

Did you notice the tipped ear?  Psiwa is spayed or neutered depending on gender.  I at least know that much, and I know the cat’s not feral.  That means it’s another stray, probably an abandoned pet.  I feel too many people dump their animals here at the lake thinking it’s better for them than dumping them on the side of the road.  Don’t get me started.  I hate seeing all these cats around here (and those I’ve mentioned and named are an extremely tiny fraction of the number actually living in this area).

Finally, this is the clearest shot I have of Psiwa.  In this instance, you can see the cat’s about to do precisely what it does best: run away, become a wisp, leave nothing but a memory in its wake.  Thankfully, I realized at the last minute what the feline was doing and that I had moved to much, so I stopped and backed away a bit, whispered a few soothing words, and waited.  It worked.  The cat came back and finished its meal before finally disappearing—like a wisp of smoke.