The Jellicle Chronicles - Year Two

The Author's Page

How quickly does a one year timeframe go! Twelve more short stories to place, and another one of these to write upon. Sometimes, the author likes to place an explanation here on how something works, or leave it for later to put in a Glossary or Appendix. Usually, I like to explain it up front, so here goes. 

      Year One of the Chronicles introduced twin kittens, Aphrodite and Augustus, delivered by Demeter from Munkustrap. Year Two will bring in three more: Adonis, delivered by Victoria from Mistoffelees; Artemis, delivered by Bombalurina from Munkustrap; and finally Plato, delivered by Scatterburr from Quaxo. These five kittens, who begin the “Next Generation” of Jellicles in the Yard, pose a bit of explanation. If you do not know where kittens come from or how they start, maybe you should ask a parent or guardian before going any further. Hopefully, though, you should know the answer to that, but you might like to know how these things apply to the Jellicle Cat in the Chronicles. 

      First, the Jellicle Cat found in these stories is very different from your house cat (Felis cattus). To be able to think, feel, reason, and see colors, the Jellicle brain has to be more complex. To enable a Jellicle to stand upright and yet still maintain some of the cat-like grace and structure, their physique requires a much higher degree of development. So, the Jellicle Cat requires a bit more time to develop than an ordinary house cat. The domesticated cat has a gestation period of 63 days (roughly two months), so the Jellicle requires roughly five months to be born after conception. A usual litter of a domesticated cat is roughly 4-6 kittens, but the Jellicle usually bears no more than two. A very rare birth is triplets, but no more has ever been recorded. Both versions are born essentially blind and helpless for about two weeks after birth. Weaning takes about 6 weeks for the Domestic version and roughly two months for a Jellicle. Until about 6 months old, the Jellicle kitten is viewed as a “toddler.” From 6 months to 3 years-6 months, the youngster is viewed as a “kitten.” From here until age 5, the Jellicle is a typical “teenager” or “adolescent.” Upon reaching age 5, the Jellicle becomes an adult. The average lifespan of a Jellicle Cat is 20 years, but can be longer. Old Deuteronomy, for example, lived to be 26 - quite ancient for a cat. In “Year Two” Skimbleshanks and the Jennyanydots are about ten. Jellylorum is about eight. Munkustrap, Quaxo, Brutus, Tugger, and Bombalurina are about seven. Demeter, Mistoffelees, Victoria and Alonzo are about six. The young set of Tumblebrutus, Asparagus, Electra, and Etcetera reach 5 during Year Two. Pouncival and Jemmina still are at four until the start of Year Three. 

      The terminology for a Jellicle ranges similar as that for a domesticated cat. Younger than adolescence, both male and females are referred simply as “kittens.” A kitten usually keeps a small profile and a slender “spike” of a tail. Their colors stabilize as soon as they are weaned, as does eye color. During adolescence, males become know as “Toms,” but the females become known as “Princesses.” Like “teenagers,” Jellicles begin their major growth spurt about here. During adolescence, the body begins to fully develop, and their physical characteristics become more “adult.” Adult males retain the “Tom” moniker, but the females become Queens. Many will argue that an adult female stays a “Princess” until they have mated with a Tom. To a certain “street usage,” this is true. For the sake of terminology, a female Jellicle, when she is viewed as a mature adult, is called a Queen. 

      Pairing in the Jellicle Tribe is primarily monogamous - meaning that Jellicles usually Mate for Life. In Jellicle society, is not unusual for a Tom to have a harem of two or three Queens. Not all pairings last, and parentage can develop some interesting twists at times. Queens do not, as Humans do, maintain fertility. Certain stimuli are required for a Jellicle Queen to become fertile. Emotional intensity for their Mate is known to produce the necessary stimuli to produce a fertilized egg. Casual mating does not usually produce kittens. In certain cases, such as injury or illness, even a developing kitten can be reabsorbed by the mother. Bombalurina’s first kitten never came into being for this reason when she suffered after a near-death attack by Macavity. That physical characteristic prevents the Yard from becoming “littered” with kittens. However, Jellicles must maintain a certain population to maintain the Jellicle “souls.” The Jellicle Tribe must have at least twenty-five members in a ratio of 14 males and 11 females. If the population or the ratio drops below the minimum, the Queens will become fertile immediately. No Jellicle has ever really understood why, but there does seem to be a connection with the Ancient Jellicles, who arrived in that precise number. 

      Jellicle colors are basically “earth tones” consisting of reds, yellows, browns, blacks and whites. While “gray” is considered a “color,” gray is also considered a “shade” between White and Black. Gray cats take on characteristics - “Silver” in the case of Munkustrap. One breed, a pure “gray” cat is called a Russian “Blue.” All Jellicles have White or Black or both in their coats. Most coats seem to go for the “Tabby” markings, though some will exhibit the solid black or white (Victoria is completely white. Mistoffelees is considered a “Tuxedo” because of the White bib and mask.) The colors of the parents usually dictate the colors of the kittens, but not to a perfect degree. A blend of the colors is very likely for most Jellicles. However, if a Jellicle Soul is returned from the Heavyside Layer, it is not uncommon for the color to be more of the original, and not the parents. In the case of Aphrodite and Augustus, who have the returning souls of Grizabella and Gus, their colors have more of the original colors than the parents. Aphrodite is mostly a gray and black tabby, like Grizabella. Her only link to her parentage is the gold and white of Demeter in her face. Augustus normally would take the colors of Munkustrap, but did not. Gus the Theatre Cat was more rust colored, and so Augustus took that color and blended it with Demeter’s gold. In the case of Artemis, who does not have a “returning” soul, this kitten shows the blending of Munkustrap’s gray/black with Bombalurina’s scarlet. Unlike the domestic cat, the Jellicle’s colors are not too restrictive. Tri-color calicos seem to be typical for a Jellicle. Normally, a tri-color male cat is often sterile, and cannot breed. To a Jellicle, a tri-color (such as Mungojerrie) is normal and quite capable of siring offspring. Another color, scarlet, is almost restricted to the Jellicle, where our normal domestic does not show this color. 

      Some authors have indicated that the Jellicles also have a “racial” or “Breed” difference. Although many can argue this case, the Jellicle Chronicles does not truly recognize this factor. The “originals” seen in the musical, and therefore are the models for the Jellicles herein, seem to have different “breeds” contained in the Tribe. Old Deuteronomy can be considered a “Maine Coon” just because of his size. Cassandra is considered by some to be Siamese or (as I see her) Burmese. Exotica (seen later in the Chronicles) is a Havana Brown. Tugger is a rare breed only known to himself. Some even view Victoria as a Persian, even though she does not have the long hair for the breed. To this author, “race” or “Breed” is not a factor to be “Jellicle.” If I continue to assert that the Jellicle is actually an ancient species from another world, then it is very likely that “breeds” do not exist. If we view the Human population as an example, we are slowly “blending” our five characteristic racial groups. Perhaps, in the distant future, Humans will take on a more uniform appearance - who really knows? To my mind, the Jellicles did exactly that. Their stay on Earth may have brought some characteristics to the forefront, but they are generally all of one “breed” - Jellicle. (Let’s leave it at that). 

      One final note: If the Jellicle Cat cannot be distinguished from a domestic cat, how does a Jellicle like Bombalurina get around? As a bright scarlet Jellicle, Bombalurina should stand out like a beacon, but she does not. As an author, I assert that the Jellicle is a sort of chameleon to the Human population. Whenever an “alien” such a Human enters a certain zone, the Jellicle has a natural “mask.” This mask presents the Jellicle in “ordinary” terms and colors. Bombalurina remains an attractive cat, but her bright scarlet (or crimson) coat takes on a “rusty brown” color. I refer to the two forms as “Jellicle” (a humanoid feline or 'felinoid’) and “Cat” (domestic version). Is this a convenient method of skirting the issue? Let us just say it is not an uncommon convention used by authors to explain the unexplainable. If the Jellicle did not mask their true identity, then we would have them featured in every cat show around the world. Can they mate with the domestic cat? NO! Domestic cats recognize that the Jellicle is different and are mostly afraid of them. And there are genetics…. 

      Now that this mini-book is out, let us proceed with the next series of the Jellicle Chronicles….