From birth, Bounce has loved people. Before he could walk, he would "swim" over towards you, and would actually purr if petted (newborn kittens usually purr only when nursing). Now that he's walking, if you sit on the floor, he will immediately toddle over to you as fast as he can, chirping and purring, and climb into your lap.

Being an only kitten, Bounce has had uncontested access to the "milk bar," and as a result, is quite a chunky little fellow. When he was a baby, he was so round that he earned the affectionate nicknames "Fattykins", "Pudge Pot" and "Porkpie". (Fortunately, our daughter Katie came up with a better name, "Bounce," before one of these nicknames stuck.)

Since Bounce doesn't have any littermates to play and wrestle with, he makes do with his mom's tail. Eowyn is extremely patient with him, even when he grips the end of her tail hard in his mouth, backs up, braces his sturdy little legs, and, squeaking with effort, tries to pull her tail off (or so it appears!). When she's had enough, she calmly gets up and jumps onto the counter, leaving Bounce on the floor, gazing up in frustration at her twitching, unreachable tail.

Bounce is so active, even at just 3 weeks old, that he's difficult to take photos of. Not only is he a moving target, but he won't stay put for even a second; he insists on toddling toward the photographer at top speed, happily trilling as he runs. (The three "baby photos" on this page were the only decent ones out of about 30. They were taken on the day he turned 3 weeks old.)

And here is Bounce at about 12 weeks of age
-- yes, he's still a moving target!