Khamûl was a foundling. I was out in my garage around 4:00 AM one morning, when I thought I heard a cat outside. I called; no one appeared, but I heard the mewing again. It sounded distressed, and very young. So, I got a flashlight and went outside to check. There was a tiny black kitten crouched outside the garage, crying. Unlike most of the local strays, he didn't run away when I approached, and I was able to pick him up and bring him inside.

He turned out to be a male, about five weeks old, undernourished and covered with fleas. I have no idea how he came to be out on his own; it's possible he had been born to one of the semi-feral females in the area and something had happened to her, leaving him to fend for himself at a precariously early age. In any case, he clearly needed help, and a home.

Khamûl was in good health apart from being on the scrawny side and a bit anemic from the fleas. A flea bath and a few good meals got him back into shape, and he quickly turned into a vigorous, roistering kitten. He never showed the slightest hint of fear of me, being outgoing and affectionate right from the start. When he was introduced to the other cats, he instantly made friends with Leonidas, rampaging happily around the house with him.

He is growing up to be a very handsome cat, with glossy, silky black fur that is starting to grow out for his first winter. It looks like he will be longhaired in the winter, and semi-shorthaired in the summer.