Meet Kippy, The Late Wild Hedgehog Who Lived in my Hedge

In the Israeli version of Sesame Street, there is a great big hedgehog mascot called "Kippy Ben Kipod," which translates to "Hedgy son of Hedgehog." When 4-5 years ago a wild hedgehog turned up in our yard, there was no other name to give it but Kippy.

Here he is, in a photo I took in September of this year. I actually took them from about a foot from him. Before I rushed to grab the camera, I actually stared at him from a couple of inches away.

You can see Kippy next to one of the cats' kibble dishes, and their water dish. He'd stand with his front feet on the rim of the bowl and dig in. He'd sometimes stand in the water as he drank it.

Up until August, Kippy was quite energetic and nimble, but from October, he turned sluggish and slow. He actually died a day after I took these photos :(

Here is another photo I took of him, this time with flash:

A friend on facebook said he had mites, can anyone confirm?

Surprisingly, 2-3 weeks after Kippy who lived in our hedge passed away, a new hedgehog arrived, which I named Knuckles (after he of Sonic the Hedgehog fame, even if he's an echidna). He was also nimble and quick when he arrived, but within the month became sluggish as well, but he seemed to have recovered before disappearing for his winter hibernation.

Also, for those who wonder, none of the cats ever bothered the hedgehogs, or paid them much attention. And yes, from close up, their faces look mightily like a Norse troll's.