Lyell

Litter number: 17
Kitten number: 65
Gender: m
Color: brown tabby

Nickname: Silent Lyell, Pile of Lyell
Siblings: unknown

another singleton kitten (we think) who came to us as part of the Figs litter. Lyell was a classic brown tabby with a dark nose and no white markings on his legs or torso. Though he was skinny and sometimes didn’t seem to eat enough, Lyell was the first Fig to overcome the URI symptoms they all shared. He loved to wrestle with Shelley, and he was always the first to leap up onto the bed and nuzzle us in the morning. Like Flynn, Lyell was a champion suckler. Unlike Flynn, Lyell preferred the traditional approach of suckling a fleecy blanket while kneading it steadily with his front paws.

We noticed early on that Lyell would occasionally look up at us and mew – without making a sound. His mouth would open and close, and we could see his neck muscles stretch, but no noise would come out. We discovered that he was able to purr (softly), but during his two months with us, we never heard him successfully use his vocal cords…. even when his foot was caught in a slowly closing door once for a split-second. We’ve never seen this with any other kitten, and we hope that his inability to squawk won’t get him in trouble later in life.

Along with Gretel, Lyell was one of the two most affectionate and social Figs. We're sure he's putting those traits to use with his new family – a father with two children.

Arrival date: 9/8/2008
Departure date: 11/10/2008