Yapou (Mr. Boy), Somali Cat, December 21, 1991 to December 29, 2008
His formal name is Zabania Yapou. He was sent to me, along with his sister, by a breeder in Montreal when he was a year and a half old. At the airport, he was the first to call out to me - like an old friend just met. His formal name never caught on with me - for most of his life, I called him Mr. Boy.
He was a powerful cat in his prime. The leaps he could do were legendary. During his first weeks with me, he used to stare up at the picture of Hobie I had handing on the wall. Mr Boy was a real character, always interested in what you were eating - practically taking it out of your mouth. Sometimes I called him "food cat"! He even conned the staff at The Cat Doctor to give him some of the pizza they were eating! He was fascinated by water droplets running down a sink - he would sometimes watch them for almost an hour.
Later in life, he would get your attention by clawing at your back. He liked to ride on shoulders and could practically leap from the floor right to your shoulders. His usual routine for attention was to circle around you while you petted him - sometimes trying to walk over your lap - then eventually flopping onto his side so you could pet his tummy. He used to play a game with his catnip mice - he would bat one under the door, I would flick the mouse back under the door to him, and he would bat it back to me.
In the end, CRF and liver disease caused him to waste away. He left this world while in the company of his sister and me. A friend for 15 years, I will never forget him.