Vazra is one of the most recent adoptees and newest members of The Kids. He was obviously abandoned somewhere around the lake where I live as he is anything but feral.
I first was introduced to him in early 2006 as he roamed around the area. When I called out to him, he immediately responded and came running, leaped over the patio fence, and promptly engaged me in lots of petting, including rolling over to get his belly rubbed. He is such a sweet cat that it horrified me to know someone cast him out into the world to fend for himself. By May 2006, he was coming around quite often. It was then I decided I would try to capture him and, if possible, adopt him. Even if he could never join The Kids due to health risks, I at least wanted to tend to his terrible fur condition, bring him up to date on vaccinations, and check is overall health.
Vazra is a very sweet cat and gets along well with the other felines in the house. There have been no fights and no ugliness since his introduction. He’s not sure about them yet, so there’s a bit of hissing and growling if someone sneaks up on him, but otherwise everyone just seems curious — except for Kako, of course, who is a bitch to everyone and hasn’t been inclined to cut the new kid any slack. Considering she’ll hit me if I point at her, this is in no way a surprise.
It took several months before I was able to capture Vazra. He spent that time being terrified of the cat carrier (another reason I could tell he was abandoned as it indicated he’d had a bad experience associated with pet carriers). Eventually, with much patience, he grew less weary of the apparatus until one day he climbed inside long enough for me to close him in it.
His general health was good and he had no communicable diseases that posed a risk to the rest of The Kids. He did have major dental problems and had to have dental surgery to extract five bad teeth. I knew his teeth were bad from the moment I first met him as he was always extra sensitive after eating and drinking, and I could tell he was already missing one of his top canine teeth. Despite the damage and subsequent loss, he did fine after the surgery and still eats well (he’d learned long ago how to swallow his food whole so as not to irritate his teeth).
Pronunciation: VAHZ ruh
Namesake: An original name formed from the Old Persian word for “great”: vazraka; see this post for a full explanation
Relationship: Adoptive brother to The Kids with no blood ties
Nicknames: Brat; Grumpy; Lefty
Breed: Medium-Haired Persian
Color: Black
Gender: Male
Birthdate: Unknown; assumed to be over 10 years old as of August 2006; I’ve set it to August 7 since that’s the date I rescued him
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Photos: at xenogere and at xenogere unseen
Photo Highlights:
This is why he’s nicknamed Grumpy.
He’s a very beautiful cat.
He ain’t proud.
He loves looking outside (don’t they all?).
