Larenti is the most recent adoptee to join The Kids. A young cat compared to the other five, I suspect someone dumped him at the lake because he required more than occasional food, water, and attention.
A neighborhood cat who came to my attention in the middle of 2006, I had seen him around the area for approximately a year before he became a regular. He spent the first several months of our relationship being extremely shy and standoffish. That’s what at first I took to mean he was a female, although that assumption proved to be wrong. (Note that many of the original posts about Larenti refer to him as her. That’s because I had no information to the contrary and had made an assumption early on. Without significant evidence to prove me wrong, there seemed no reason to change personal pronouns or gender references.)
His curiosity about me grew in leaps and bounds as time moved forward. The more I invested in him with food and attention, the more he seemed to want to see me, to be around me.
Larenti has always been a bit of a lonely cat. Not by choice, mind you, and not always in practice, but I mean lonely in the sense that he spent much time seeking the company of others, whether it be Vazra before his rescue, Clance before he was adopted by some neighbors, or any number of other cats living around these parts, not to mention me for many months before I rescued him. More often than not, I’d see Larenti following close on the heels of another feline and expending great energy to simply be with someone. Not all of them welcomed his attention.
Over the course of the next year he fast became my friend, even after I rescued Vazra, but especially once I showed him I would provide food and would gladly give him whatever affection he allowed. During that time he had his challenges, from various unmodified males trying to stake a claim in his territory to dealing with the litany of wildlife that often pushed him aside for his food. He nevertheless prevailed and remained.
Sweet and affectionate, he still demonstrates what I believe to be fear based on past abuse. If a hand moves too quickly, he flees for his life. Other movement frightens him to a lesser degree. It’s just that hands scare him to his very core.
By the middle of 2007, he practically lived on my patio. He spoke to me readily, awaited my arrival with the patience only a feline can muster, gladly offered his belly for rubbing, purred relentlessly if I spoke to or touched him, and generally adopted me as his human. It was then I decided I would do all I could to rescue him and make him a part of the family.
He finally joined The Kids on November 23, 2007.
Pronunciation: luh REHN tee
Namesake: An original name formed from Acca Larentia, the name of an old Italian earth goddess; see this post for a full explanation
Relationship: Adoptive brother to The Kids with no blood ties
Nicknames: Copi (pronounced “KOH pee”; a shortened version of copious in reference to his large size)
Breed: Domestic Medium Hair (DMH)
Color: Brown tabby
Gender: Male
Birthdate: Unknown; assumed to be 4-5 years old as of November 2007; I’ve set it to November 23, 2002, based on the date I rescued him
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Photos: at xenogere and at xenogere unseen
Photo Highlights:
He’s quite a handsome young man.
There’s just something about this photo of him that I adore.
The first photo I ever took of him. . .when he finally realized I wasn’t a threat.
His last warm day spent in the outside world, and doesn’t he just look magical with autumnal sunset painted all over him!
